The BOSS Novelization
by BentleyGirl
Summary: After getting a mysterious email, Jacksepticeye gets transported into his computer, where he discovers a world where video game characters from games he played live. Teaming up with an unusual group of allies, Jack sets off on an adventure to escape his computer and save his subscribers from... The BOSS. Based on the fan game by Sarcastic Pasta. (SPOILERS AHEAD!)
1. Prologue: A Normal Day?

**Hello readers, and welcome to my novelization of The BOSS.**

 **For those of you who don't know what The BOSS is, it's a fan game created by an incredible group of people for one of the most renowned people on YouTube, Jacksepticeye. Now I don't normally play fan games for YouTubers, but at the time Jack was playing it, he'd been prepping for one of his tours and as such, he was only able to finish it after he got back. So while I waited for that day, I decided to download it myself and play it through to the end, and I loved the game! It was well-written and planned, and kudos to the developers for hooking us in.**

 **Please note that I am not doing this to promote Jack's channel; he doesn't know who I am. I'm writing this because I wanted to show my appreciation for this game and to put a little spin that wasn't implemented in the game.**

 **DISCLAIMER: The rights to The BOSS belong to the developers, Sarcastic Pasta.**

 **WARNING: This story will contain spoilers to the game, so please either play it yourself or watch it on Jack's channel before reading any further.**

* * *

Prologue: A Normal Day?

"…But for now…" Jacksepticeye took in a breath to begin his trademark bombastic outro. "Thank you guys so much for watching this video! If you liked it…" Here, he lifted his fist and swung it towards his camera. "PUNCH that like button in the face..." He then lifted both arms up and brought them down in a victory pose. "LIKE A BOSS! And…" He leaned closer to his microphone to murmur, "High-fives all round." He then delivered two air high-fives while going "Wa-pish" for effect. "But thank you guys and I will see all you dudes…" He pointed at the camera with both hands then raised them up and finished in a loud, high-pitched voice, "IN THE NEXT VIDEO!"

He then lowered his arms and sheepishly glanced at his equipment. "I punched my mic. Oops… Ah, well, that'll make a good bonus clip." Stretching his arms, he paused the game and looked at his computer. "Okay, hope the recording went well. Time for a break…"

After switching off his camera, Jack stood up and ran a hand through his somewhat faded green hair. It had been another typically busy day for him. So far, he had finished Part 2 of Sally Face, played a few rounds of Overwatch to try out Doomfist, and had just played another session of Crash Bandicoot Warped. The footage he had recorded had been saved on his computer, ready to get sent off to Robin later on. At the moment, his subscriber count was closing in on the 16 million mark, so he had planned to prepare his milestone video beforehand. After that, well, maybe he could look up some Flash games to play or perhaps do some VR games on his Vive.

Before he left his computer, Jack checked his Steam account. Right now, he was downloading the newest DLC to Little Nightmares and it was currently at 40%, as it had been when he last checked about an hour ago. He frowned; somehow his internet had been running a bit slower than usual. He had only been at Brighton for a few months now, so he was still getting used to the new area, but still… "Ah, fuck it, it'll be done soon," he decided, before slipping on his blue hoodie and heading out the door.

As he left his recording room, he suddenly noticed a green woolly object about the size of a softball on the floor. Picking it up, Jack quickly took in the blue pupil and black iris marked with two white shapes. "Oh, hey, Sam!" he beamed, recognizing his plush mascot. "What are you doing down here, you little goober?"

For a moment, he found it odd that his prototype plushie, made for him by a fan about two years ago, wasn't on his shelf of game memorabilia. But his mind was then flooded with the image of Sam appearing as an Easter egg in Sally Face, and the earlier thought was forgotten. "Come on, buddy, let's go grab some food," he said, tucking Sam under his hood.

Upon entering the kitchen, Jack switched on his coffee machine. "Gotta get me some of that dirty bean water." While he waited, he searched around for some snacks. But his fridge was practically empty, considering he hadn't been shopping for a while. There was a delicious cake on the counter, but he was saving that for when guests come to visit.

Finally, in one of the cupboards, he lucked out. "Cookies!" he cheered, pulling out a box of chocolate bourbons. "The perfect TV snack!" With that in mind, he shook some cookies out onto a plate, deciding to chill out in front of his TV.

By now, his coffee was complete, and Jack wasted no time pouring some into a mug. After he took a sip, he could feel its warmth surging through his body, the caffeine jumpstarting his components like fresh oil in a sports car. "Mmmm, nectar of the gods!" he shouted.

Taking his coffee and cookies, he left the kitchen, switched on the TV, and settled down to watch. A news program was playing at the moment, detailing news of Donald Trump's latest actions. Jack scoffed slightly as he grabbed the remote and a cookie. Politics were never one of his biggest concerns, especially American politics. But before he could change the channel, the report was cut off by some breaking news.

" _We interrupt this story with this news flash,_ " the newswoman announced. " _At this hour, millions of people all over the world have been found unconscious in their own homes. Paramedics have linked the state of their patients with the use of social media. We now go live to the scene of the hospital with our field reporter, Steve Segue. Steve?_ "

At a normal time, Jack would be laughing at the name of the reporter, comparing it to Segway Steve from Happy Wheels. But the news had him completely hooked, so much so that he didn't notice his half-eaten cookie falling out of his hand. The program changed to show Steve Segue standing outside a hospital just as an ambulance pulled into the parking lot. A very worried doctor was standing next to him.

" _Thank you, Betty,_ " Steve reported. " _I'm now standing outside St. Aloysius Hospital, and as you can see, another ambulance has just arrived, the 5_ _th_ _one to arrive as we've been waiting. With me now is Doctor Henry Stein. Doctor Stein, what can you tell us about these patients?_ "

" _Well, uh, so far, none of the patients have regained consciousness,_ " the doctor replied. " _Fortunately, despite their state, all of them are still showing relatively healthy vital signs. Each of the patients is somewhere between the age of 13 and 30, but there are some that are just outside that bracket._ "

" _What do you believe is the cause of these strange occurrences?_ "

" _Well, one of our most recent cases had been found on their bed with their Twitter account open on their phone, and just now, we're taking in a couple who'd been watching YouTube._ "

" _So you believe that something on social media is affecting these people?_ "

" _I don't know, Steve. But my colleagues have been getting other cases linked to Tumblr and Instagram, so who's to say?_ "

" _Thank you, Doctor Stein. At the moment, these mysterious happenings are secluded to English-speaking countries, but whether the epidemic will spread to other countries still remains to be seen._ "

As Steve Segue ended his report and the newswoman came back on, Jack slumped back in his couch, fear etched on his face. "Mother of God," he breathed. "Millions of people… What's happened to them?" Then a horrible thought struck him. "Wait… Mark, Felix, Robin, all my friends; they're all on social media too. What if they've been affected too? I gotta go check on them, and if possible, warn them about this!"

Thoughts of cookies forgotten, he leaped out of his chair and was about to run to his recording room when another thought hit him. "Hold on a tick, I need to warn Signe too!" He knew that she was currently visiting friends in Brighton so she wouldn't be back for a while. Grabbing his phone, he quickly sent a message to her, warning her not to go onto social media for a while.

He then ran down the hall and barged into his recording room, not noticing Sam falling out of his hoodie and bouncing on the floor. Jack sat down at his computer and accessed his emails. Immediately, he saw literally hundreds of messages from various social media sites, all bearing the same message in that terrifying zalgo font he used during his Anti phase:

Ṡ̪͙̗̹͊ͨͨ̾ͣͤ͌ͅả̜̯̠̫͇̞̲̳͒̍ͣv̺̙̥ͬ͊̄̈̂e̠͕͕̲͇͙̒̈̂ͦͥ̀͆ ͙̞̉̐̋u͖̐͒́̊̊̔s̜̆̾̋

Jack's heart began to race, and his breath came out in short gasps. What was happening? How were people sending him these strange messages? Was he somehow related to the incidents occuring around the world?

Just as he was about to have a panic attack, a new message appeared in his inbox under the name "SCYOBI", and the subject simply read "Save them".

Hands trembling, Jack moved his mouse over the email, clicked to open it…

And the last thing he saw was his screen flashing out at him…

* * *

 **And the game has officially begun!**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **The main one is the appearance of the prototype SepticEye Sam plush. I've decided that Sam will have a more prominent role in the story than simply being a save point in the game. In the next chapter, you'll see why.**


	2. Ch 1: How Did I Get Here?

**DISCLAIMER: Undertale characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

Chapter 1: How Did I Get Here?

"Owww… my head…" As Jack came to, he was aware of something lying on his chest. Blinking to clear his vision, he looked up and saw a green eyeball staring back at him. "Sam? How did…? What just happened?"

Still disoriented, he pushed Sam aside, rubbed the back of his head, and staggered to his feet, looking around him. Whatever knocked him out had sent him flying out his chair, which was now at the back of his room. He then turned to his computer, gasping when he saw the black screen. "Oh no!"

Quickly, he pressed the power button to turn it on, but nothing happened. "What the…? It's not responding!" He pressed the button again and again. "Come on… COME ON!" But still, the screen stayed black. "Ah, dammit…" he sighed. "Well, I'd better check to see if Signe responded to my message."

As he turned to leave, he suddenly realized something. "Wait a tick… Why is everything green now?" The lamp behind his chair was glowing gentle green; his desk had a green stripe running around it; there were even streaks of green in the foam padding. "Something's going on here…"

Just as Jack stepped out of his recording room, he heard his doorbell ringing. "Huh? Someone at the door? Who could that possibly be?"

He made his way to the door, pausing to notice the green stripe on his couch and the bread slice on the sofa. But just as he was about to grab the handle, the door suddenly exploded open, the blast knocking him down.

"Whoa!" Jack gasped. "What was-" He trailed off as he saw two figures entering the hole that used to be his doorway; two tall and very familiar figures. "Oh, God…"

One of the figures was a tall white skeleton with a huge grin on his skull, wearing blue pyjamas patterned with yellow ducks, a nightcap, and gloves. The other figure was a humanoid fish with blue skin and red hair, wearing an eye patch, a black vest, jeans, and boots. Jack recognized them immediately; Papyrus and Undyne from Undertale!

Undyne approached him with a huge grin on her face. "Hey!" she said, in the exact voice that Jack used for her when he played the game.

"Uh…" Jack stuttered, completely lost for words for once.

"Hello, neighbor!" Papyrus proclaimed in the voice similar to Skeletor, holding out his hand. "We noticed you appeared here and have come to make you feel welcome!"

"How are…?" Jack cleared his throat. "What are you doing in my house? I…"

"What game are you from?" Undyne asked, taking in the house. "No, let me guess. Hello Neighbor DLC, right?"

"No, this looks a bit different," Papyrus observed. "I believe it's another new game!"

As they looked around the room, Jack reached up and grabbed Papyrus' hand, cringing slightly as he felt the bones through the glove. After Papyrus pulled him up, he went up to Undyne, gently touched her shoulder and lifted her ponytail. Her skin was wet and clammy like a frog's, while her hair felt like strands of greasy seaweed.

"Is it a horror game?" Undyne asked eagerly, ignoring Jack's actions. "I _love_ horror games!"

"Game? Me?" Jack gasped, finally taking in their conversations. " _You're_ the ones from a game!"

"Oh no!" Papyrus cried. "Does your character have amnesia? Are you going to wander around aimlessly for days until you collapse in an alley where a gang of rogue miscreants will rifle through your pockets for Bytes?"

"Wow, sounds like a real dark descent," Undyne chuckled.

"Nyeheheh! Good one, Undyne!" Papyrus laughed.

While Jack would have also commented on the clever joke, he was still confused as to how two characters from one of his favorite games ever would be standing in what remained of the entrance to his home. "I…"

"Oh, hey," Undyne called out then. "It looks like we're not the first ones to greet you."

"So it seems," Papyrus replied, looking over Jack's shoulder. "How you been, Sam?"

"What?" Jack turned around and saw Sam sitting outside his recording room. But something was different about it. Curiously, he went up to the little eyeball and peered closer at it. Yes, Sam definitely had better details than before; it had more of a shimmer to it, there were faint traces of veins around the eye, and it now sported a thin, snakelike eyestalk…

At that moment, Sam blinked.

"AH, JAYSUS!" Jack gasped, falling backward in shock. He stared dumbly at Sam as it turned around and started crawling towards him, its eyestalk shimmy-shammying like a cartoon worm. "W-What are you doing?" Jack wanted to inch away from Sam, but his body was paralyzed with fear. He could only watch as Sam lifted itself onto his knee and stared at him.

"Don't be frightened," Papyrus reassured him. "Sam only wants to say hello."

"Go ahead," Undyne said. "Give him a pat; he really likes it when people pat him."

Gulping loudly, Jack slowly lifted his hand and reached out to Sam. He glanced nervously back at Papyrus and Undyne, who both nodded. Still unsure, he lowered his fingers and touched the eyeball.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as horrible as he had hoped. The eyeball's surface felt moist and pliable, like rubbing a peeled hard-boiled egg. As Jack kept stroking, Sam closed itself and rubbed against Jack's hand, making a weird gurgling sound.

"Wowee!" Papyrus cried. "I've never seen Sam react to a new character like that before."

"Yeah, he must really like you," Undyne agreed.

After a while, Jack settled down. He had to admit, it was quite nice petting Sam, and Sam seemed to recognize him instantly. "Nice to, uh, finally meet you, Sam."

"Anyway, can we see the rest of this game?" Undyne asked.

"Uh… I guess?" Plucking Sam off his knee, Jack got to his feet and placed the eyeball on his shoulder. With another coo, it coiled its eyestalk over the back of Jack's neck, making him flinch a bit. "Okay, this feels a little weird," he chuckled. "Alright, well, follow me."

As Papyrus and Undyne entered the house, Jack glanced briefly at his bedroom. He hardly used it much since, as he always proclaimed, "Sleep is for the weak!" For a moment, he considered starting his tour there, but he quickly changed his mind. ' _Undyne and Papyrus in my bedroom? Maybe I shouldn't give the internet any more creepy fanfiction ideas than there already are, thanks._ " So he led them into the bathroom instead.

Undyne went over to the towel rack and lifted one up. "Are your towels big enough that you can wrap yourself in them?"

"Completely?" Jack asked with a frown. "No, they're not that big."

"Oh, then what's the point?" Undyne sighed, dropping the towel.

"Um... being able to dry myself off?" Jack replied unsurely, looking at Sam. "Do I want to know?" Sam shook itself very quickly.

Jack turned to Papyrus, who was examining the bathtub eagerly. "Have you got a rubber ducky? No bathtub is complete without one."

"Duckies are fine and all," Undyne agreed. "But what you _really_ need in the bathtub is a super soaker."

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets. "This is why we've never bathed together."

"Sure, that's the reason," Jack muttered to himself.

"Um, there's a lot of reasons for that," Undyne retorted, folding her arms.

"Yeah, it'd be kinda weird if you did," Jack said out loud.

Undyne spun round to glare at Jack. "Are you saying you wouldn't trust Papyrus in the bathtub with you?"

"Um," Jack stammered, wilting at Undyne's stink-eye. "The circumstances have never presented themselves for that to be an option."

Undyne grabbed Jack by his lapels and hoisted him up, nearly shaking Sam off his perch. "Bathtime Papyrus is as pure and sweet and amazing as regular Papyrus!"

Desperately, Papyrus put a hand on the fish monster's shoulder. "Undyne, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is a very strange argument."

Undyne glanced at him then gently lowered Jack to the floor. "Don't let anyone diss you in the bathtub, Papyrus," she snapped, storming out of the bathroom.

"Um… noted." Papyrus walked up to Jack and brushed his hoodie straight. "Sorry about Undyne; she's very passionate about me, for some reason."

"No harm done," Jack sighed, following the skeleton out. "I learned something I didn't expect to learn today; never piss off Undyne."

He then led the two monsters into the kitchen, where Undyne noticed the cake on the counter. "Nice cake. Doesn't look like any of the cakes we've made though."

"Alphys's birthday cake was supposed to be chocolate, but it tasted like ashes," Papyrus explained. "Maybe we roasted the chocolate too much."

"Wait… you roasted your own cocoa beans?" Jack asked.

"Oh…" Undyne said. "They do that to the beans?"

"Uh… let's move on," Jack decided, rather than go over the complicated process of how cocoa powder is made.

Undyne then examined the cooker. "So how hot does your stovetop get?"

"Pretty hot," Jack replied.

"Hmm," Undyne snorted. "Not hot enough for my liking." She raised her fist and clenched it in front of Jack. 'Hella hot' is definitely my speed! 'Pretty hot' just doesn't match the fire burning in my heart, and I need a stovetop that matches me!"

"They all seem to spontaneously combust, Undyne," Papyrus pointed out, and Sam nodded in agreement. "I don't think we'll ever find a stovetop that's the perfect match for you."

"Well, maybe Alphys can build me one," Undyne declared. "She made me a hot fridge after all. She has the power!"

"Okay, can you guys just be nice in my house?" Jack cut in. "I spent a lot of time here, it's a very nice place… Now let's move on to the next room."

With that, Jack led them out of the kitchen and took them to his recording room. The moment he opened the door, Undyne and Papyrus ran over to his desk.

" _Nice_ computer," Undyne noted. "What happened to it?"

"I don't know," Jack replied glumly. "It stopped working. Maybe it's got some sort of virus."

"A virus? Oh no!" Papyrus gasped. "Do you have any medicine?"

Jack frowned. "Well, I don't mean that kind of-"

"Wait a minute!" Undyne reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a bottle of pink liquid. "I have some cough syrup right here!"

Sam squeaked in alarm as Undyne ripped the lid off and turned to the computer, making Jack realize what she was about to do. "No, wait-"

But it was too late. Undyne threw the syrup right over the computer screen and keyboard. Immediately, the screen flashed wildly for a second and the keyboard started coughing out smoke.

"Undyne, I…" Papyrus nervously pulled the collar of his pyjamas. "I don't want to be overly critical, but I believe you just made the problem worse."

"Well, trial and error," Undyne replied with a dismissive shrug. "At least now we know that cough syrup doesn't work on computers."

Jack stared at the smoking, sticky mess then glared at Undyne. "YOU DESTROYED MY COMPUTER!"

"Well, look on the bright side," Papyrus murmured, holding up his hand. "Uh, at least now you have time to go outside!"

"Yeah," Undyne agreed. "You know, get some fresh air!"

Sam jumped into Papyrus' hand and went into an angry tirade of squeaks, waggling the tip of his eyestalk at Undyne. "Come on, it's an honest mistake," Undyne retorted. "Anyone could have made it!"

Jack was about to ask what Sam was saying when he heard a low deep voice right next to him. "Hey, guys, what's- Aaand what did you two do this time?"

Jack whirled around to see another skeleton next to him; this one shorter than Papyrus with a rounder skull, wearing a blue hoodie and black pants.

"Well, in all fairness, it was already broken when we got here," Papyrus argued.

"SANS?!" Jack cried in alarm.

Hearing his name, the shorter skeleton turned to look at him. "Oh hey, who are you?"

"Why are you here?" Jack shouted, his day getting crazier by the second. "Why are _any_ of you here?"

"Wow, friendly," Sans scoffed. "Anyway, heya. This your busted computer?"

"Well, it _was_ before they got their hands on it," Jack scowled, waving a hand at Papyrus and Undyne.

"Ah," Sans replied with a wink. "Sounds like they got you into a… sticky situation." A drumroll sounded out of nowhere, making Jack look around in confusion.

"Sans, don't start already!" Papyrus snapped.

"What?" Undyne cut in. "You laughed at my pun a few minutes ago."

"Shh, don't encourage him," Papyrus hissed.

"Wh-what's going on?" came a nervous female voice from outside. "Why did you blow down th-this guy's door?"

Jack spun around and saw a cute yellow dinosaur-like monster in a white lab coat and glasses standing at the door. "Alphys?!"

"Oh, h-hi!" Alphys stuttered, waving her claws at him. "I'm sorry, you must be new here…" She trailed off when she saw the damaged screen. "Wait, what happened t-to your computer?"

Sam squeaked and pointed his stalk at Undyne, who meekly raised her hand. "Ah, that would be me. Apparently, cough syrup doesn't work on computers."

Alphys did not look impressed at all. "Undyne, cough s-syrup is for bacterial infections, not computer viruses!"

"Whoops," Undyne muttered sheepishly.

"We could look for the viral variety!" Papyrus decided. "Quick, to Amazon!"

"My computer's still broken, Papyrus," Jack pointed out behinds his facepalm. "We can't go to Amazon."

Papyrus glanced at the screen then back again. "Okay, now I see the problem here."

Sam grumbled to himself and rolled his pupil.

"Welp, it wouldn't be me if we didn't try it the hard way!" Undyne chuckled.

"Yes," Sans agreed. "It looks like your mistake had a… mass effect!" He winked again, as another drumroll echoed out.

"Stop it, Sans!" Papyrus yelled. "This poor fellow has suffered enough!"

"Wait, no, hold on!" Jack shouted, raising his hands to finally address the elephant in the room, or rather, the monsters. "What in the blue blazes is going on here? How are you guys even here?"

"Oh no, you've forgotten already?" Papyrus gasped. "We blew open your door to come look around." Sam scowled and smacked his hand with his stalk. "Ow! What?" Sam gave another series of angry squeaks, making Papyrus frown. "Okay, now that you mention it, blowing open his door wasn't the best idea."

"It was fun though!" Undyne beamed.

"No, you know what I mean!" Jack yelled. "You guys are _game characters_! Except for Sam, who's supposed to be a plushie of my mascot! How are you in my house?"

"W-wait a minute," Alphys cut in, blushing and touching her claw tips together. "This is kind of a crazy question, but… are you Jack?"

"What?" Jack asked, taken aback by the question. "Yeah, how did you-"

"What? You're Jack?" Papyrus cried, flinging his arms up. Sam was tossed into the air as a result, but Jack quickly caught him. "Oh no, I didn't know I was going to meet a celebrity!"

"Whoa, Jack? _The_ Jack?" Undyne gasped with a wide eye. "Well, no wonder Sam was so delighted to see you. How did you get in here?"

"How did _I_ get here?" Jack remarked in confusion. "How did _you_ get here?"

"We blew down your door!" Papyrus chimed in helpfully before turning to Undyne. "I think his amnesia is worse than we thought."

"Heh, good thing I've been practicing Surgeon Simulator," Sans chuckled.

"Ooh, can I control the fingers?" Undyne volunteered.

"WHAT? NO!" Jack screamed, backing away from the monsters. "No surgery!"

Sam bounded up to Alphys and squeaked at her urgently. "What?" she gasped. "Jack, do you not kn-know where you are?"

Sans turned to Papyrus and Undyne with narrowed sockets. "Why didn't you two tell him?"

"I… was just kinda excited about the graphics," Undyne replied nervously. "Now I know why they looked so realistic."

" _What_ graphics?" Jack cried. "What are you talking about?"

With Sam at her side, Alphys walked up to Jack and placed a hand on his hip. "Jack… y-you're in W-Wireland."

"No, I don't live there anymore," Jack replied.

"Not Ireland, _Wire_ land," Alphys corrected. "Th-that's what we call… this place. Y-you know, where we hang out when you're not p-playing with us."

"Wait…" Jack held up a finger for silence. He looked at Alphys and Sam, then at Sans, then at Papyrus and Undyne, then at his damaged computer, then his eyes widened and his jaw fell open as the penny finally dropped. "I'm _INSIDE_ MY OWN COMPUTER?!"

"Looks like it, yeah," Sans replied, and Sam nodded too.

The reality of the situation was too much for Jack. His legs crumpled underneath him and he fell to his knees. "No fucking way…" Sensing his shock, Sam bounded up to him and curled up in his lap.

"H-How did you even get here?" Alphys asked.

"I'm… not sure," Jack replied. "It was weird. I was on my computer, and I got an email from some guy named SCYOBI. Then there was this big flash of light and next thing I know, I woke up here."

"SCYOBI?" Undyne asked. "Never heard of him."

"Me neither," Alphys agreed. "I don't think anyone here goes by that name."

Papyrus walked up to Jack and patted his shoulder with a grin. "Well, welcome to Wireland, no matter how you got here!"

Jack smiled slightly at that. "Let me guess; Sans came up with that name?"

"Nah, that one was Tori," Sans beamed. "Man, she's the best."

"Wait," Alphys gasped. "If you're really Jack, that means y-your computer _is_ Wireland!"

"So we're in Wireland within Wireland?" Papyrus cried.

"Wasn't there a movie like that?" Sans asked.

"But if your computer's broken, there's no way out!" Alphys went on in a panic. "You're st-stuck here!"

"Well, the computer was broken before _Undyne_ exacerbated the situation," Papyrus pointed out.

"Y-yeah, about that, Undyne," Alphys replied, glaring at the fish woman. "D-didn't I ask you not to mess with computers without me to supervise?"

"Uh, you said not to mess with _your_ computer," Undyne corrected. "You didn't say anything about Jack's."

"The same concept applies to _all_ computers," Alphys muttered through gritted teeth.

"Oh. Well… oops," Undyne chuckled. "What a funny story! I'm sure we'll all laugh about it twenty years from now, right?"

"Uh-huh." Shaking her head, Alphys turned to Jack. "Listen, Jack, I don't know how t-tech savvy you are, but I can fix your computer… I-if you want me to."

"Uh… Yeah, sure," Jack replied, getting to his feet. "I guess if you can build Mettaton out of metal and magic, then fixing a computer would be a piece of cake."

Alphys smiled and traced her foot around the floor. "I hope so…"

"Welp, if you're going to be here a while, I guess I'll set up shop," Sans stated, leaving the recording room.

"Wait, what?" Jack asked.

"I guess I should get started," Alphys decided, pushing past Papyrus and Undyne. "Thanks a lot, you two!"

"No problem!" Undyne replied, failing to spot Alphys' sarcasm.

While she and Papyrus went to another part of the room, Jack and Sam moved closer to Alphys as she opened the computer case and examined the workings. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"For now, I need you to go to the grocery store o-out there," Alphys replied. "You'll need to get some new power regulators. Th-these ones are completely fried. The store should be out your door and t-to the right, if the gate's unlocked. If it's not, there are a few keypads you can use to activate it. Shouldn't be too d-difficult to figure out."

"Uh… all right," Jack said, somewhat confused. "I guess… I'll go get it then."

"You b-better take Sam with you," Alphys decided. "He's l-lived in Wireland the longest, so he knows the place like the back of his… um, e-eyestalk."

With a nod, Jack picked up Sam and lifted him onto his shoulder. "Well, Sammy Boy, if I'm gonna be stuck in Wireland, might as well make the most of it!" He turned and pointed towards the door. "Onwards to adventure!"

* * *

 **Welcome to Wireland, everyone!**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **As I said in the last chapter, Sam has been upgraded from save point to NPC support.**


	3. Ch 2: A Wander through Wireland

**DISCLAIMER: All characters referenced are the property of their respective game companies.**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Wander through Wireland

Leaving Alphys to her work, Jack left the recording room with Undyne and Papyrus. "So Undyne, how come you had cough syrup on hand anyway?"

"I confiscated it from Papyrus," Undyne replied. "Last time he tried it, he got… kinda loopy."

"That wasn't completely my fault!" Papyrus retorted. "I just misread the instructions. When you're as sick as I was, it's easy to misread 'one every two hours' as 'two every one hour'."

"We're still finding bones in weird places," Undyne added with a shudder.

Sam squeaked a few times, making Jack look at him. "Did you just make a 'that's what she said' joke?" he asked, and Sam nodded.

"I promise I don't remember leaving them everywhere," Papyrus said nervously.

"That's a shame," Undyne tutted. "I guess we'll never find out why you drunkenly spelled out ASPARAGUS on your front lawn."

"Hmm, yeah," Papyrus murmured, rubbing his chin. "Even Sans couldn't figure that out."

"Anyway, long story short," Undyne went on. "When I saw that bottle in the medicine cabinet, I knew I had to confiscate it. The last thing we need is a repeat of that incident. I've already yanked enough bones out of the pipes and stuff. I don't even know how you managed to fit them all there."

Papyrus smiled and waved his hands in front of him. "Perhaps it shall always be a mystery."

"Wow," Jack chuckled. "I don't blame you for taking it then."

By now, they had reached the living room again. Jack left Unydne and Papyrus there and made his way into the bathroom. "What the hell?"

The way to the bathtub and toilet was now blocked by dozens of crates filled with various items, and Sans sitting behind a counter with a sign that read 'Sans Shop'.

"Sans… why did you set up shop in my bathroom?" Jack asked.

"You weren't using it," Sans replied. "Besides, that way, you can focus on your adventures without worrying about making editing mistakes."

"Oh God, the pee break incident," Jack groaned, facepalming at the infamous mess-up. "I am never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope," Sans chuckled. "Hey, by the way, thanks for playing the Genocide route. It was fun to kill you over and over. My favorite part was when you went down in five seconds the first time."

"Well, you kinda caught me off guard," Jack admitted.

"I know. I love doing that."

"Hey, wait a sec," Jack cut in. "Why are you thanking me for killing everyone? Isn't that directly against the game's message?"

"Well, yeah, of course," Sans agreed. "But all screen time is good screen time. And besides, we can't die permanently; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to play again. Anyway, if you want to buy something, you'll have to come back later."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jack replied, leaving the bathroom again.

* * *

With nothing more to do at home, Jack grabbed his phone and stepped out of the hole in his wall into the world beyond. "Holy balls…"

Against the vast technological street, his home was as out of place as an onion in a fruit salad. Everything was blue; the roads, the houses, the gardens. A car drove past him, leaving a trail of ones and zeroes instead of exhaust smoke. "So, this is Wireland," Jack breathed. "I feel like I'm in the Matrix…"

Just then, a loud bleating roar rang out from above him. "I know that sound!" Jack looked up to his roof and saw a gigantic doglike face looking back at him. It didn't take him long to notice the creature's broken green horns, the feathered neck, and the birdlike feet. "TRICO! What are you doing on my roof?"

The creature cocked its head and gave another bellow.

"Aww, you're so adorable in real life," Jack cooed. "I don't have any barrels for you, sorry."

With a snort that sounded disappointed, Trico turned away and settled down on the roof. Jack then spotted a camera next to his house. "What is that for? Where does the feed go?" He looked over at Sam. "Does Wireland have security?" Sam lifted his stalk in a shrug. "Oh well, let's keep going."

With that, Jack set off down the street. The first person he ran into was a young brown-haired woman with a blank stare. "Oh great, it's Evie," Jack groaned.

"Hello Nick, I am Cleverbert," the woman stated in a dull monotone.

"Yes, I know who you are," Jack growled. "Unfortunately."

"Would you like a hint?" Evie asked.

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, why not?"

"If you step on the blue squares, you will turn yellow," Evie replied. "But yellow does not make you turn blue."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I already told you."

"No, you didn't!"

"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?"

"Ugh, forget it." Jack walked away from Evie. "Glad I'm not recording you anymore."

After a while, he soon entered a town. Jack noted that the plants didn't look anything like the trees he'd see while walking through Brighton. "I wish I could grow this kind of thing back home. Weird glowy septic plants sound awesome!" He also saw a glowing yellow platform on the ground, but he didn't think much of it.

After taking a right turn, he soon came across an electric barrier barring his way. "Looks like the entrance to the store is blocked off. Hey, Sam, where should I go to open it?"

Sam bounded onto Jack's arm and pointed his stalk back the way they'd come. When Jack reached the street again, the eyeball pointed to an alleyway. "Well, I wanted to look around anyway."

On the other side of the alley, the way forward was also blocked, so Jack turned to go another direction. Soon, he came across a payphone and out of curiosity, he picked it up. "Hmm, I could call Signe to check on her, but I doubt I'll get signal to the real world from Wireland. And I'm not calling Ma just for the sake of a running gag, sooo… I'll just ring up my place."

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. "Hi, Jack!" came Undyne's voice, puffing and panting like she'd been running. "Uuhhh, didn't think we'd hear from you, phew, so soon!"

"Undyne?" Jack asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, just peachy!" Undyne sighed. "Why?"

"You're breathing kinda heavy…"

"Air! What's with that stuff, am I right? Never understood it; y'know, being a fish and all…"

Jack frowned at her reply. Something didn't feel right… "Really? I could have sworn you also had lungs, Undyne."

"OMIGOSH! I just remembered! Papyrus doesn't have any! Gotta go!" With that, she hung up.

Jack let out a heavy sigh as he replaced the phone. Now he knew that Undyne and Papyrus were up to something, which would be bad news for his house. "I wonder if my insurance covers digital property… Where to next, Sam?"

The eyeball pointed down a side street, and Jack set off again. As he walked through the town, his presence started attracting attention from various game characters. Several heroes from Overwatch – Tracer, Mei, Hanzo, Zenyatta – looked up from their activities to watch him pass. Nathan Drake and the two boys from Brothers pointed at him and started whispering to each other. Even the Slimes paused in their carefree bounding to ogle him.

In the next street, Jack's phone rang and he quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jack!" Papyrus replied cheerfully. "I bet you're wondering how I got your number."

"Let me guess," Jack smiled. "You dialed every number sequentially until you got mine?"

"What? Are you kidding?" Papyrus retorted. "That would have taken forever! I just glanced at your personal information. You have to give out your phone number for these kinds of things."

"Stop talking over the conversation, Papyrus!" Jack heard a brief scuffle before Undyne came on. "So Jack, how would you feel about a nice pot of spaghetti for when you get back?"

Jack closed his eyes, recalling how his experience of cooking spaghetti with Undyne did not turn out well in Undertale. "Undyne… no."

"Wowie!" Papyrus cried. "He's so excited, he doesn't even know what he's saying!"

"Yeah, a whole bunch of people showed up," Undyne explained. "Turns out your house is great for parties, but the only food you have is cookies and cake."

"We thought we'd be good hosts by making them something a bit more substantial," Papyrus agreed.

"I mean, you did tell us to make ourselves at home!" Undyne added.

"I never said that, did I?" Jack looked at Sam, who shook himself.

"It was implied," Undyne replied. "Anyway, talk to you later!"

As the call ended, Jack sighed. "Oh God, my house is gonna be destroyed by game characters. Now I know how Shrek felt when the fairytale characters got in his swamp…"

Just then, Sam squeaked and pointed to a blue platform nearby. "Over there?" Jack asked. "But that's a dead end."

But the moment Jack put his foot on the platform, there was a flash of light and suddenly, he found himself in another area. "Ummm… did I just get teleported?"

Sam pointed to a control panel close by. "Oh, will this open one of the barriers blocking our way?" Jack asked, and Sam nodded. "Alright, let's press all the buttons!"

Jack slammed his hands on the panel, causing it to spark out. Sam then led him to a yellow platform that transported him back near the entrance to the alley.

They went back to where the way had been blocked, passing a diner. "Is that my own Grillby's?" Jack wondered aloud.

Just then, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and spin him around, and he found himself looking at a familiar comic book hero. "Batman?"

"So the rumors are true," Batman stated in his husky voice. "You really are here."

"Uh, yep, that's me," Jack replied. "In the flesh, or files or whatever I am in here."

Batman nodded and turned back to enter the diner.

"It's awesome to meet you!" Jack called to his back. "Well, that was something…"

At the end of the street that wasn't blocked, Jack found another panel and hit the buttons. "This feels a lot like Dark Souls…"

They headed back another direction and soon passed at a tank that Jack had to look at. "Is that an eyeball in there? Creepy…"

Sam squeaked indignantly.

"Oh, right, that's what you are," Jack realized. "Sorry. I wonder what the world looks like from inside one of those. Probably boring and green… Plus, you wouldn't see much if you were in suspended animation."

After a while, they found another area that had previously been closed off, with another panel that Jack activated. In the distance, he heard the sound of a barrier fading out. "That's a good sound effect," he noted. "It reminds me of Dino Crisis. Aw man, I should play that on the channel… if I ever get out of here."

The platform there took him back to the eyeball tank, and Sam led him through another alley towards the next panel. "Man, I'm glad I have you with me," Jack said. "I would have been turned around here."

Eventually, they reached the panel, but just as Jack was about to hit the buttons, his phone rang again. "What?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Hey… Jack," Undyne replied nervously. "So, tell me… just how attached were you to your oven?"

"Do I want to know?" Jack sighed.

"Know what?" Undyne asked. "There's nothing to know. I just wanted to know more about you."

Jack covered his eyes, fearing the worst. "Undyne, have you two heard any loud beeping since you started cooking?"

"Actually, yeah," Undyne replied. "It was really annoying! How did you know?"

"That would be the smoke detector," Jack grunted. "It beeps to warn you about excessive smoke… and fire."

"Oh! One second!" Undyne then shouted off the line, "Hey Papyrus! It's supposed to do that!" A pause, then, "Yeah, turn it back on!" She then came back on. "So tell me, Jack, this isn't related to anything specific, but by chance… are smoke detectors expensive to replace?"

"I'm going to hang up now," Jack deadpanned, before doing so. "These guys…"

He then hit the buttons on the panel. "Is the way to the store open now?"

Sam nodded with a squeak and pointed to another blue platform.

"I'm guessing that'll take us back," Jack said. "Right, now let's get those regulators before Undyne burns down my house…"

* * *

 **Yeah, this chapter was slower-paced than the other ones.**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **Yes, I know I removed the "Hey Ma" reference. I was tempted, though.**

 **I added extra appearances of characters from games that Jack played on his channel. Also, the Water Cooler of Doom has been moved to somewhere that seemed more fitting for him, so he will appear.**


	4. Ch 3: The Secret of SCYOBI

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not gonna bother, you should know the drill by now.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Secret of SCYOBI

As expected, Jack and Sam reappeared at the street leading to the store. "Boom baby!" Jack cheered. "Let's go."

Before long, they soon arrived at the entrance to the store. "'Bosco's Inconvenience Store'," Jack read the sign. "That's comforting. But it's the only option I've got, so…"

With a shrug, he stepped inside and began searching the shelves. "Let's see… Power regulators, power regulators… Nope, nothing here."

Sam pointed towards the back of the store. As Jack went towards it, he spotted a row of guns. "Nice, but not as nice as…" He quickly flexed his arms. "THESE GUNS!"

With that, he pushed open the door and stepped into the back. Immediately, his eyes fell upon a young boy wearing a yellow T-shirt and green shorts; a boy he'd killed many times in both Happy Wheels and various fan games. "BILLY! I KNEW IT!"

"What?" the boy gasped. "Hey, I'm not-" But he got no further before Jack tackled him to the ground. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Don't play dumb!" Jack snapped, punching Billy in the face repeatedly. "You're always the villain in these things!"

"What? No, I'm not!"

Sam started squeaking urgently, but Jack ignored him and lifted Billy by his collar. "You're making a mistake!" Billy protested. "I'm not evil! I promise!"

"Like hell, you're not!" With that, Jack hurled Billy back against some boxes, sending papers flying everywhere.

"Stop beating me up!" Billy panted, holding up some components. "I have some power regulators right here? Don't you need them?"

"Right," Jack grunted in disbelief. "And you're just gonna hand 'em over. Sure…"

"Yeah, I am," Billy insisted, getting to his feet. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Sam quickly bounded between Jack and Billy and started squeaking loudly. "See? Sam's vouching for me," Billy cried. "You can trust me, I swear."

"How do you know Sam's name?" Jack asked.

"I've been here a long time," Billy replied. "I notice things."

"Um… okay… thanks." Jack held out his hand and Billy gave him the regulators. "Sorry about that. You know, when the safety's off on this plus-one biceps, I can't control them. They can go off at any time."

"Yeah, I figured that out," Billy muttered, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"So… why are you helping me?"

"I dunno. Maybe because I don't want to die."

"Heh, I think that ship sailed a long time ago," Jack chuckled. "How many times have I killed you now?"

Billy shook his head. "Wow, you're pretty thick, Jack."

"You're pretty annoying, Billy," Jack retorted.

"It's 'Irresponsible Son', technically," Billy corrected, dusting his clothes off. "Not that you care."

"Hey, I cared enough to name you!" Jack snapped. "You were just 'Son' before."

"But, considering that the alternative to helping you is a painful and permanent death," Billy went on, "I think I'm feeling generous right now."

Jack folded his arms with a scowl. "You're pretty articulate for a little kid."

"Well, you're pretty sadistic for a guy who promotes kindness and community values," Billy countered. "I mean, technically what you just did was child abuse."

"Is it really child abuse if the child's fictional?"

Sam cut in with a series of squeaks.

"Sam is right," Billy replied. "I don't have the time or patience to explain exactly what I am. Just listen to what I have to say, Jack."

"Alright, I'll hear you out." Jack pulled up a box and sat down. Sam jumped up onto his lap. "Go ahead."

"You see, Jack, I've been here a long time… dying to amuse you mostly," Billy added with a roll of his eyes. "But I saw this huge surge of power a little while ago, like a ton of stuff got uploaded at the same time. It was scary. Now, this might sound crazy to you, but I believe that all the people who fell asleep in your world must have been uploaded here."

"Oh man," Jack gasped. "With all this… Wireland and cough syrup crap, I completely forgot about all that! Wait," he cried. "How would you know about that if you didn't take them? You don't live in the real world."

"Well, this computer's connected to the internet!" Billy replied. "I may be just a kid, but I'm not stupid. And besides, _I'm_ the one who called you to Wireland in the first place!"

Jack suddenly recalled the email he'd clicked on before he lost consciousness. "That was you? Who the hell is SCYOBI then?"

"It's 'Screw You, Billy' actually," Billy explained. "Get it? First two letters of each word? I thought it was clever. Must've been if you didn't figure out."

"Well, now I get it," Jack scoffed.

"Congratulations," Billy beamed. "You're finally catching on."

Jack glared at him. "I can still kill you, you know!"

"Well, sure, you could do that. Once! But if one of us dies outside our game, it means that our files go missing. And missing files means a fatal error. And a fatal error means that the game is unplayably corrupted. Unless, of course, we're being controlled by a player; then the Law of Death Permanence counteracts any permanent deaths."

"Huh?" Jack asked, scratching his head.

"It's all right here in the Wireland law book," Billy said, handing Jack a book. "Page 156, paragraph 9."

Jack flipped through the book until he found the law. "Okay… 'The Law of Death Permanence: If a character, acting of their own agency, dies outside their game, the death is permanent and will cause a fatal error due to missing files. However, if under the agency and control of a higher power (i.e. The Player), death is treated equally outside the game as it is inside the game (i.e. impermanent). Additionally, any other characters that die due to player negligence are resurrected when the player respawns.'" He then closed the book and handed it back. "So, basically I have to let you live so I can keep killing you?"

"Yep," Billy replied and Sam nodded too.

Jack smirked as an idea came to mind. "How's about you and me head back to…" He paused to throw up his arms and yell, "HAAAAAAAAPPY WHEEEEEEEELS for a bit?"

"Heh, not a chance, Jack," Billy chuckled. "And it's knowing little things like that that would make me a valuable asset to your journey because I think the millions who disappeared were all your subscribers. Do you really want to leave them helplessly fending for themselves down here?"

Jack thought it over for a moment. "So, you're proposing an alliance?"

"That's the idea," Billy replied.

"But I've already got Sam. Alphys told me that he knows Wireland very well."

"Well, no offense to Sam, but he can't talk. I bet you had trouble working out most of his squeaks getting here. Even if you could, you'd still get lost or not know how something works." Billy stepped closer and held out his arms. "Seriously, Jack, you need a proper Wireland resident to show you around. This is all your subscribers who need saving. I don't want to see you or them get stuck here forever. I wasn't programmed to be evil; you just made that up. But there are a lot of people whose programming could put you in serious danger. Just give me a chance. I know my stuff, promise."

After another moment of thought, Jack picked up Sam and held him up to his face. "What do you think, Sam? Should we trust him?"

Sam blinked once and looked at Billy for a moment. Then he turned back and nodded.

"Fine." Jack placed Sam back on his shoulder then stood up and held out his hand. "I guess we'll _have_ to work together."

Billy rolled his eyes and shook Jack's hand. "I guess I'll take a reluctant alliance over being beheaded again."

* * *

"I'm back!" Jack called, stepping into his house again. As Billy followed him in, Jack saw that some new beings had arrived in the building.

"Hey, it's Ori!" Jack cried, pointing to a white creature by a fallen pot plant. He also saw some small black balls hanging from the ceiling. "These little goo guys seem to be everywhere."

"Yeah, thanks for playing that, Jack," Billy stated sarcastically. "It's not like this place was totally cluttered or anything."

"Sorry," Jack sarcastically muttered out the corner of his mouth. "I don't think about the world inside my computer when I choose what games to play."

Billy smiled. "You know, this whole weird situation would make a sweet game or fanfiction."

"Come on, Billy," Jack scoffed. "No one would play a game like that. And any fanfiction would be way too farfetched for anyone to read."

"Or _would_ it?" Billy asked mysteriously.

Jack then noticed a strange man standing in front of his bedroom door. As he came closer, the man held out his hand. "Papers, please," he said in an Eastern European accent.

"Hey, you're Little Potato Man!" Jack cried in joy.

"Hey, is you," Jorji replied. "I heard you were here. Welcome to Wireland."

"Yeah, so, if you could move out of the way to my bedroom, that'd be great."

"I can't let you through unless you have right papers."

Jack frowned. "What papers?"

"You need passport and entry ticket. I run very strict border patrol."

"Well, uh…" Jack thought hard. "My bedroom's so great, I don't need a passport to get in."

"Haha, very funny!" Jorji laughed. "Sounds familiar… but I still can't let you in."

"It's my bedroom!" Jack yelled.

"Get right papers and come back," Jorji insisted. "Glory to Arstotzka!"

"We're not even _in_ Arstotzka," Jack sighed and walked away. "Man, what a son of a beech."

He then followed the smell of smoke into his kitchen and quickly saw the result of Undyne's cooking. His cooker had left a huge black stain on the wall, and a spear was sticking out from the spot where his smoke detector used to be, now lying in pieces on the floor. "Oh God, what did you guys do?"

"Oh, it's you, Jack," Papyrus laughed nervously. "Fancy meeting you here… in your own kitchen… at your house."

"The kitchen sure has… changed," Jack grumbled.

"Yes," Papyrus stuttered. "We've rearranged the place a bit. We hope you like it."

"Yeah," Undyne agreed, swearing profusely. "It's not strategic at all, nope."

"Yeah, it looks a _hole_ lot better in here," Billy muttered, noticing a large hole blocked off by a pot plant.

"Yep, so much better," Undyne agreed. "You should let us be your interior decorators."

"We sure do have an eye for…" Papyrus glanced at the damaged cooker. "Not hiding mistakes, that's for sure."

Just then, another skeleton, this one dressed like a douchebag, rolled up to him on a skateboard. "Oh no, it's Death from Manual Samuel," Jack groaned. "I'm going to hear it, aren't I?"

"Holy feces, dude!" Death called. "I heard you was here, yo! You're _the_ Jack, the one we're here to entertain!"

"That's a weird way of putting it," Jack replied.

"Well, that be our job! To make you and the million, bazillion people who watch you happy!"

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Well, it be an honor to finally make your acquaintance, dude." Death leaned in closer to whisper in Jack's ear. "And uh, just FYI, that spaghetti on the table be a fast track to Hell if you even think about eating it, ya dig?"

"I HEARD THAT!" Papyrus shouted.

Jack went up to the table and examined the plates of pasta. "This spaghetti does look… good."

"Thank you," Papyrus replied. "Why don't you try some?"

"Oh, um…" Jack glanced at Billy for a moment. "I would, but… you made it _look_ so delicious that I wouldn't want to mess it all up for you."

"Good save," Billy muttered.

"Ahh, of course!" Papyrus smiled. "I completely understand. You want to preserve our artistic masterpiece."

Jack then looked up at the spear in the wall. "Undyne, what is the meaning of that?"

"Sorry about that, Jack," Undyne chuckled sheepishly. "As it turned out, your smoke detector is pretty breakable after all."

"Yep," Jack sighed. "I generally advise against throwing spears against necessary household items."

"Well, that's just lame," Undyne snorted. "Can't make an omelet without setting fire to your oven!"

"Something tells me that that's not how the saying goes," Papyrus muttered.

Shaking his head, Jack left the kitchen and decided to peek into the bathroom. "Oh Mother of God…" Somehow, the way to the shop had grown longer during Jack's absence, to accommodate the queue of people and creatures that had formed. "How did this place get so big?"

"There's a lot of character that I'm sure you'll recognize," Billy added.

"Hey, Sans!" Jack called, walking to the front of the line. "Quite a line you've got here."

"Yeah, business is booming," Sans agreed. "Just a few minutes ago, this guy in an orange jumper bought like 50 rolls of duct tape. Dunno why. Anyway, if you want to buy something, you'll have to wait in line. These people have been waiting quite a while, plus I've taken quite a few breaks, and naps. Could be a while.

"Yeah, buddy," snapped the man from Hello Neighbor, standing at the head of the queue. "Don't cut in line or I'll kill you… Or just, catch you and make you restart."

"Noted, Mr. Wilson," Jack replied. "I'll pass for now, Sans."

Leaving the bathroom for another time, Jack and Billy entered the computer room. Sam jumped to the floor and bounded over to Alphys, squeaking happily.

"Oh, y-you're back," Alphys called, turning to Jack. "So, did you get the power regulators?"

"Yep, I found them and gave them to him," Billy replied cheerfully.

"Oh, hi, Billy," Alphys beamed. "I d-didn't even see you there."

"Hey, Alphys, what's up?" Billy said.

"Look, I don't want to interrupt this lovely catch-up session," Jack said, lifting Sam onto his desk. "But, uh… can I go home now?"

Alphys nodded and took the regulators. "Give me a second to install this, and you'll be on your way."

As Alphys returned to her work, Jack noted how his keyboard and screen were fixed and free of any sticky cough syrup residue. "Nicely done, Alphys. My setup looks almost new."

"T-Thanks." Alphys closed the computer case and pressed the power button. The screen switched on, displaying the start-up image. "Okay, I got it up and running. Now to just-"

Just then, the screen flashed an error.

"What the…?" Alphys climbed onto Jack's chair and scanned the error message. "There's a firewall here!"

"A firewall?" Jack cried.

Sam squeaked in the same tones as Jack.

"Yeah." Alphys tapped on the keyboard, but the message didn't go away. "And I can't get past it. How do you disable it?"

"Why are you asking me?" Jack asked. "Aren't you the genius here?"

"Genius? R-Really?" Alphys blushed slightly then shook her head. "Uh… A-Anyway, who else would have put it up?"

"I don't know," Jack replied. "That's weird."

Alphys adjusted her glasses and looked at the message again. "It clearly says right here 'Installed by The BOSS.'"

"Who's The BOSS?" Jack asked, rubbing his chin.

"I thought you called yourself that," Billy pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but not in all capitals like that," Jack said. "No, someone else must have installed that."

"So… someone clearly doesn't want you to leave," Billy assumed.

"Looks like it," Jack scowled. "Alphys, do you think you could take it down?"

"I think so," Alphys replied. "B-but to do that, I'm going to need a couple of hydrospersion keys. I can find their locations here, but they're encrypted. I could decrypt them, but that could take hours."

"So… what do we do?" Jack asked.

"Well…" Alphys turned back to the computer and began typing again. "I can set your front door up to take you near one of the keys. You'd have to wander around a bit to get it, but it would take way less time than trying to decrypt their locations."

Jack gave a weary groan. "Another fetch quest?"

"Sorry, but I really need those keys if you want to get home."

"I guess I don't mind going back out into the computer," Jack decided. "It wasn't so bad before."

"Well, h-here's the thing," Alphys said, turning to look at him. "Strictly speaking, it's not in the computer. It's embedded in o-one of your games, but I can't tell which one."

"So we have to traipse through one of the games that Jack has played?" Billy asked.

"I really hope it's somewhere innocuous like Turmoil," Jack said.

"I mean it could be that," Billy smirked. "Or it could be The Last of Us, or The Final Station, or-"

"Yeah, I get it," Jack cut in sharply. "I've played a lot of horror games."

"That's another thing," Alphys replied. "There might be some overlap. Y-You know, games blending into other ones. I guess what I'm trying to say is to prepare for anything."

"All right!" Billy cheered. "We're going on an adventure, Jackaboy!"

"Anyway, remember: I need a hydrospersion key," Alphys reminded them.

"Sure thing, Alphys." Jack plucked Sam up and led Billy out of the recording room and through the hole, ready to face the great unknown beyond…

* * *

 **And we'll find out where Jack, Sam, and Billy end up in the next chapter.**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **In this one, it's mostly dialogue based. For e.g., a lot of flavor text mixed into the main dialogue.**


	5. Ch 4: Keeping Up with the Bosses

**DISCLAIMER: This episode contains a blast from the past for Jack's older subscribers.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Keeping Up with the Bosses

Outside the door hole, Jack, Sam, and Billy found themselves not in the streets of Wireland, but in the front yard of a house that looked like it had been designed by a group of blind architects. There was an oven on the patio, a hole in the ground, and plants that had the heads of cows by the front door.

"Cow plants and a badly designed house?" Jack asked with a faint smile. "Looks like we're about to visit the McBosses again."

"It's been a while since you've been here, huh?" Billy asked.

"Certainly has," Jack agreed, peering into the hole. "Hello in there!"

A roar echoed out in response, causing Jack to back away rather quickly. "Alright, geez, relax!"

"What the heck is down there anyway?" Billy cried.

"How the flip should I know?" Jack retorted. "I haven't played the Sims in ages."

As they approached the front door, Billy glanced up at the cow plants with a shudder. "Man, these things always give me the heebie-jeebies."

"Then they're doing their jobs!" Jack declared.

Sam started squeaking in a way that sounded like laughter, which made Billy cross. "Not cool, man."

Jack carefully opened the door and peeked in. "Hmm, looks like nobody's home… So let's go in!"

Billy looked around in concern as he followed Jack and Sam into the house. "Where is everybody?"

Jack walked up to the first door and found it was locked. "Hmm, if I remember correctly, this is Steve and Betty's room."

Billy put his ear next to the second door to listen. "That's weird, I can hear dishes being washed in there."

"That means that's the bathroom," Jack said, walking up to the third door. "Which would make this Bitty's room… that's also locked. Why is everything locked in this house?"

"Lazy developers?" Billy guessed.

"You shut your mouth!" Jack snapped, glaring at him. " _All_ developers are amazing and hardworking, and they absolutely never traumatize their main characters… Ever!"

"Geez, weird thing to get passionate about," Billy muttered.

"Yeah, that was weird," Jack agreed. "It's almost like I had no choice but to say it. Ah well, let's see what's upstairs."

Unfortunately, the only thing they found at the top of the stairs was a giant pool of water. "What?" Jack gasped. "Why is the entire second floor a pool?"

"I don't know, Jack," Billy replied pointedly. "You built it."

"Then I guess we'll never know!" Jack decided, leaving the floor.

Back on the first floor, they tried the other doors, but they were also locked. Jack spotted a note on the last door. "'Due to a fire on Tuesday, this room has been sealed by the fire department until they say it is structurally safe.' Dammit, Betty," he sighed.

"What's that?" Billy asked, pointing to a device on the wall.

"Probably a fire alarm," Jack guessed. "Although… it could be a burglar alarm, but I don't think I had one."

"Maybe that's all they could salvage from the fire," Billy said with a shrug.

The door after that was unlocked, and they stepped into a sparsely decorated living room. The only furniture around were a sofa, a couch, a shelf with a TV, and two simple paintings on the wall. Sam jumped down to the floor and bounded across the room, examining the place.

Billy walked up to one of the paintings and frowned. "Why do you have a painting of a flower on the wall?"

"I don't know," Jack retorted. "Why are you so obnoxious?"

"You seriously have no sense of taste," Billy scoffed, pointing at the second painting. "Because, if there's one thing this room needed, it was definitely a pointless painting of a night sky."

"Maybe you just don't understand great art, huh?" Jack argued.

Just then, Sam began to squeak, attracting their attention. "What is it, Sam?" Jack asked.

In reply, the eyeball pointed his stalk at a long crack in the wall. Billy walked up to it and shook his head. "Worst interior designing ever."

"I'm pretty sure I never designed this house to have cracks in the wall, Billy," Jack muttered, examining the crack.

"Well, then what's that, a portal to an alien prison?"

"Now that's just a stupid idea," Jack scoffed.

Suddenly, a soft voice spoke out from the crack. "Hello?"

Jack jumped back in alarm. "IT IS AN ALIEN!"

"Wait, can you hear me?" the voice called.

"So you did put an alien civilization behind this wall," Billy cried.

"No, I didn't," Jack retorted. "And I can prove it. I just need to find a hammer or something. But where can we find one?"

Sam jumped up to Billy and squeaked for a moment. "Huh?" Billy asked. "You sure about that?"

"What did he say?" Jack asked.

"Sam says that there might be a hammer outside," Billy translated. "We didn't look at everything while we were there."

"Alright," Jack said. "Sam, stay here and guard this crack. We'll be right back."

Sam nodded and settled down in front of the crack, while Jack and Billy went back through the hallway.

* * *

"Say, Billy," Jack said as they walked. "How did you know what Sam was saying anyway? Come to think of it, Undyne and Alphys knew what he was saying, too."

"It's a bit of a mystery to us too," Billy explained. "Sam has been in Wireland since you first started YouTube. When I first came here with Bobby, Betty, Steve, and all the other Happy Wheels characters, Sam was there to greet us. Over time, we started to pick up on the patterns of his squeaks and gestures until we could understand what he was trying to tell us."

"And Sam has never tried to learn your language?"

"He's an eyeball, Jack. He doesn't have a mouth, or lungs."

"But if he doesn't have lungs, then how can he squeak in the first place?"

Billy shrugged. "We may never know…"

Soon, they went outside again and they began to look around. Jack checked in the mailbox first. "Nope, no hammer here, just some bills."

"Unless you're planning to donate to the Llama Wellness Society," Billy suggested.

"Nah, I already donated my extra money to the Koala Hula Collaboration," Jack said. "They're really talented. Heh, that sounds like a tongue-twister."

"Jack, I found one!" Billy called, standing next to the oven.

Walking over, Jack opened the oven and pulled out the hammer. "Why was that in the cooker?"

"Maybe it was used to build the rockets," Billy replied.

Jack looked around for a moment. "There are no rockets here."

"Huh," Billy murmured. "Probably crashed it off-world…"

Hammer acquired, Jack and Billy went back inside and returned to the living room. Sam bounded up to them, wagging his stalk.

"Good boy," Jack beamed, patting the eyeball. He then walked up to the wall and raised the hammer. "Stand back!" he called to the voice.

With that, he swung the hammer against the wall, widening the crack.

"It's working!" Billy cheered. "Hit it again!"

Jack smashed the wall again, causing the crack to splinter. "Damn, I'm strong! Here we go!"

With a final swing, the crack burst open, throwing up a cloud of plaster dust that made Jack and Billy cough and splutter. Even Sam gave a loud cute cough and closed itself quickly.

Then they heard another cough that made them look up in amazement. A young blonde woman was now standing in a room beyond the crack, her purple sweatshirt coated in a fine layer of dust. "Whoa," Jack breathed, dropping the hammer on the floor.

"Well, what do you think of your alien civilization now?" the woman asked indignantly. But when she saw Jack properly, her attitude suddenly changed. "Jack?"

"Uh, well," Jack stammered. "My alien civilization looks like a very nice person who isn't going to hit me for covering her in dust. Heheh…"

"Smooth," Billy muttered.

Sam squeaked and bounded up to the woman, whose green eyes lit up in delight. "Oh my gosh, it's Septic Eye Sam!" she cried, kneeling down and scooping him up. "Aw, you're just as adorable as my plushie!"

Billy frowned and folded his arms. "Ahem."

The woman looked up with a blush. "Oh, uh… thanks for saving me from… this place, wherever it is."

"Seriously though, are you okay?" Jack asked, stepping up to her.

"I think so, yes," she replied.

"Great!" Jack beamed. "So… who are you? I mean, I don't recognize you, which is weird because I've recognized everyone so far. What game are you from?"

The woman looked confused. "Sorry, I don't follow."

"Well…" Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Everyone here is from a video game I played, so which one is yours?"

"I, uh… I still don't understand…"

"Allow me," Billy said, walking between them. "Jack, I know everyone here. And unless you've been playing something brand new before you got sucked into Wireland, I don't know who she is. She's not in any of your recent installation files."

"How do you even know this?" Jack asked.

"Well, it's not like I have anything else to do between being torn up for your amusement," Billy cried, throwing his arms up.

"Wait…" Upon seeing the boy, the woman's face became grim. "You're Billy?"

"The one and only," Billy replied. "At least, that's what he named me."

"Billy, shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Jack snapped.

"Now I'm even more confused," the woman said.

"Just follow me out here, please." Jack led the woman out of the empty room and sat her down on the couch. He then sat on the armrest next to her while Sam sprang onto his lap. "Okay, let's start over. How did you end up getting stuck behind the wall inside the McBosses' house?"

"Is that where I was?" the woman gasped, looking around. "I have no idea. I was just sitting in my bedroom, watching your newest video, and before I knew it, I just… woke up here."

"Wait a minute," Billy cried, running up to her. "You're a subscriber?"

"To Jack? Yes," the woman replied. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Oh, perfect!" Jack cheered, raising his arms up. "I found a subscriber! I saved one of them! Only a… few million to go…" He trailed off, realizing the problem. "Now, what do I do with her?"

The woman put a hand on her head and frowned. "Now I'm even more confused. Why are you here? With Billy and Sam? And what about the McBosses? Weren't they your Sims 4 family?"

"Oh, right," Jack chuckled. "You probably know even less about what's going on than I do. Uh, sorry." He cleared his throat then carefully took her hand. "So… don't panic, but we're kinda stuck in my computer."

"Umm…" She took a moment to think it over. "Okay. I mean… that's good, right? I mean, you'd know your way around here, wouldn't you?"

Sam frowned and then shook itself.

"You'd think that'd be the case," Billy agreed.

"Billy, what did I just say?" Jack growled, clenching his fist to resist the urge to strangle him. Taking a breath, he turned back to the girl. "Listen, something weird happened out there. Somehow, all of my subscribers got uploaded onto my computer, you included. I'm still not sure how."

"Okay," she decided. "I guess that is somewhat more believable than you flying down to Australia, knocking me out, locking me in a doorless room, and then breaking me out of said room with your fictitious archenemy and beloved mascot."

"Exactly!" Jack cried. "It's totally believable."

With a nod, the woman stood up and faced the trio. "So… now what?"

"Well," Jack sighed, swapping a look with Sam. "I don't feel right leaving you here by yourself, so… do you want to come with us?"

"I guess," she replied with a shrug. "I mean, it's not every day you get to hang out with your favorite YouTuber, his adorable mascot, and… his least favorite character."

"I'm your favorite?" Jack smiled. "Aw, thanks!"

Sam let out a happy squeak at being called adorable.

"I'm his _least_ favorite?" Billy grumbled. "Thanks a lot."

"Billy!" Jack warned, before turning to the girl. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"I'm Jenny," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Well, welcome aboard, Jenny!" Jack said. "Come on down to the Pain Train! …By which I mean, we'll be the ones delivering the pain."

Jenny chuckled at Jack's enthusiasm. "Oh, also…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a strange device about the size and shape of a key. "I found this thing on the floor. Do you know what it is?"

"Oh, that must be the hydrospersion key that Alphys asked for!" Jack cried, taking the device. "Awesome!"

"Alphys from Undertale?" Jenny asked, suddenly puzzled again.

"Long story," Jack replied. "Anyway, let's go!"

* * *

As they walked through the house, Jack and Billy explained to Jenny as much as they could about Wireland.

"I see," Jenny said as they neared the door. "So every character from every game that Jack has played on his channel is living in a world inside his computer?"

"Yep," Jack replied. "And some of them are presently at my house, possibly burning my kitchen down."

"And you're saying we're trapped in here?" Jenny asked. "Who would do such a thing?"

"We don't know," Billy admitted. "Luckily, Alphys is doing her best to fix his computer, so you can go home."

"Too right," Jack said, opening the door. "And now that we have the first hydrospersion key, we should be closer to- Oh, crud!"

Billy and Jenny looked around him and saw a group of people dressed in blue waiting for them. "Why are there cops?" Billy asked.

"They look familiar too," Jenny noted.

"This is the police!" one of the officers shouted. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering!"

"Wait, WHAT?" Jack yelled.

Suddenly, the officers charged towards the group, tackling them to the ground. Jack was faintly aware of someone screaming like a monkey, quickly realizing that he was responsible before everything went black…

* * *

 **Uh oh, what has Jack gotten himself into now? Tune in next time to find out. (Unless you've already played the game, in which case, don't give anything away please.)**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **I wanted to add some level of intrigue for Sam. I mean, all we know is that he's Jack's mascot and he's had cameos in games like Sally Face and Subnautica. But what is Sam to Wireland? Who knows...**


	6. Ch 5: Prison Life Sucks

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains solutions to some of the puzzles in the game. Don't read any further unless you've already played the game.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Prison Life Sucks

Jack woke up with a slight headache and looked around. He was lying on one of two beds in a small gray room, with bars on his window. His clothes had been removed and replaced by an orange jumpsuit. "Oh balls, I'm in The Escapists," he groaned, sitting up on the bed. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

With a sigh, he stood up and was about to leave the cell when he heard a familiar squeak. Looking back, he saw Sam hopping out from under the bed. "Sam!" he beamed, kneeling down. "It's nice to see a friendly face in here, even if it's just an eye. Any idea where Billy and Jenny are?"

Sam nodded and pointed out the cell.

"That way?" Jack asked. "Alright then. I'd better conceal you, though. The guards here might get suss about seeing a disembodied eyeball in my cell." So saying, he popped Sam into one of his pockets, leaving it slightly open so that he could peek out.

Jack then walked out of the cell, one of several in the area. In one cell, he saw a shelf with a flowerpot, a book, a bottle of poison, a pint of beer, and a bottle of unlabeled. Thinking nothing of it, for now, he left the cells.

In the next area, Jack saw two guards, each blocking a door. "What do you think you're doing?" asked a guard who was blocking the closed door.

"Nothing," Jack replied innocently. "Just admiring this nice prison."

"Enough gawking," the other guard snapped. "You're gonna be late for roll call. Out the door next to me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Jack muttered, stepping out the door.

Out in the prison yard, Jack quickly spotted Billy and Jenny, also wearing orange jumpsuits. He was also surprised to see two of his real world friends, Markiplier and Pewdiepie, as well as two teenage girls, one brunette and one blue-haired, that he recognized from Life is Strange. All six prisoners were standing in line before two very angry wardens; an African-American man and one with a handlebar mustache.

"There you are!" yelled the mustached warden. "Get in line!"

Jack quickly obeyed, standing between Jenny and Billy.

"Okay, listen up, maggots!" the first warden shouted. "We've got a few new faces here at the Jack McSwaggerson Correctional Facility! Now, onto business. I want to address the person who has been defacing the guard schedule by the main office! If we ever find out who did it, you will be crushed."

"Remember that the punishment for attacking an officer is a trip to solitary!" the black warden declared.

"And a broken nose, which we'll then blame on the other maggots," the first warden added.

"Exactly," his friend agreed. "Now, dismissed! Have a lovely day!"

* * *

Shortly after roll call, the prisoners gathered at the cafeteria for meal time. Since the guards were busy elsewhere, Sam was able to climb out and sit on the table next to Jenny.

Jack sighed as he poked at some runny mashed potatoes with his fork. "So I guess there are no trials in Wireland, huh, Billy?"

"Nope," Billy replied, pulling at the sleeves of his jumpsuit. "Martial law."

"Shoot, I knew I should have played Ace Attorney on the channel…" Jack frowned. "Wait, shouldn't you be in juvie?"

"Yeah, I remember when you played Hard Time: Kids Edition. And then there was the Primary School Escapists."

"Yeah, I did," Jack replied in thought. "Riddle School, I believe it was called."

Billy nodded glumly. "Sadly, an escape from the psychological prison of boredom at school is not exactly the same as escaping from prison."

"So, basically the same reason we don't have trials?"

"Yep."

Taking another mouthful of mushy peas, Jack looked over at the other prisoners. "So… what are Mark and Felix doing here?"

"Technically, they're not really here," Billy explained. "They didn't get uploaded onto your computer like Jenny here. These are just Wireland representations of Mark and Felix from some of your fan games, and the two apps that Felix made."

"It's your fault," Mark snapped, pointing at Jack with his knife. "If our fan bases weren't so connected, we wouldn't be in so many of your stupid fan games."

Jack gave a cheeky grin. "Aren't I worth going to prison for?"

"No," Felix stated firmly.

"Aw, but I'd go to prison for you," Jack muttered. "Maybe…"

"Yeah, well that's no surprise," Felix scoffed. "You were always such a suck-up."

"Oh, fadoodle you, Felix!" It was then that Jack realized what he had just said. "Wait, was I just censored?" Quickly, he tried to yell out his preferred curses. "Dog; abacus; Jerusalem; Caroline on a bike- Seriously? I can't fracturing swear on my own computer?!"

"Oh, that must be Evie's autocorrect at work," Billy chuckled. "I'm honestly surprised that you didn't notice until now."

"Why does Evie autocorrect my own computer?" Jack growled.

"She usually doesn't," Billy replied. "Bobby told her to autocorrect anyone within earshot of me because I'm a kid."

"Should have known it was Evie," Jack sighed. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, this is the Escapists," Jenny replied. "So I guess… we escape?"

"Awesome, an escape plan!" cheered the blue-haired girl. "I'm totally in!"

"Why are Max and Chloe in here?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I don't know," said Max, the brunette. "Breaking and entering; using a gun without a permit; inadvertent manslaughter of masses of people…"

"That one was all you," Chloe cut in, pointing at Jack. "Thanks for saving me, Jack."

"You're welcome," Jack grumbled, before glancing up from his food. "Anyway, I did notice… This prison is kind of sparse."

"Yeah, about that," Felix replied, scratching his beard. "Everyone broke out, except us."

"Why didn't you all break out?" Billy asked.

"We were the ones in solitary," Mark murmured sheepishly.

"What did you do?" Jenny asked.

"We were caught trying to escape, in broad daylight," Max explained.

"My bad," Mark admitted, raising his hand. "I thought those guard uniforms would protect us."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you're here," Jenny beamed. "We can learn from your failed escape attempt."

"Yep, attempt. Singular." Mark looked around shiftily. "We haven't been here for a month. Nope."

"At least there are no contraband detectors," Jenny continued. "This is an easy prison!"

"Yeah, super-easy," Mark agreed sarcastically. "We're totally looking forward to your escape plan."

"Or, you know, at least looking forward to watching it fail, miserably," Felix added bluntly.

"Everyone here has so much confidence in us," Billy murmured, rolling his eyes.

Jenny smiled and clenched her fists. "We should be able to escape if we work together!"

"I'm in," Max cried.

"Me too," Chloe agreed. "It's hella boring in here."

"Do you still have time-travel abilities?" Billy asked the girls.

"No," Max sighed, looking down at her hand. "I think this game is interfering with my canonical powers."

Jack swapped a hopeful look with Jenny and Sam. "Well, I'm sure we can think of something if we put our heads together."

* * *

After meal time, Mark, Felix, Max, and Chloe left the cafeteria to work on their respective duties, leaving Jack, Sam, Billy, and Jenny to discuss their plans between them.

"Well, I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this in games," Jack said.

"When I was coming out to roll call with Billy," Jenny said, "I noticed the storage room for all confiscated items was right in the middle of the hallway. I think the hydrospersion key might be locked up in there."

"I saw that too," Billy replied. "But the door is always guarded."

Jack smiled. "I'm sure Sam and I can come up with an easy way to distract the guard and get inside."

"I think so too," Jenny beamed. Sam nodded in agreement.

"I guess just let us know how we can help," Billy muttered.

As Jack made to leave the cafeteria, he spotted a blue police box sitting in the corner. "Why's there a TARDIS here?" he wondered aloud. "Do you think the phone even works?" Sam lifted his tail in a shrug.

Before long, Jack had reached the entrance to the storage room. "There it is, Sammy," he hissed to his mascot. "Time to use my ginormous brain power to get in…"

With that, he approached the guard at the door and glanced at his nametag. "Ha, your name is Officer Officer?" he laughed. "I'm the best at naming!"

"What do you want?" Officer Officer snapped.

"Mostly, I just want to know why I'm here."

"Oh, you have quite a rap sheet, maggot," the guard replied and started listing the offenses off on his fingers. "Vehicular manslaughter, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, daytime robbery, night-time robbery, armed robbery, impersonating a priest, performing surgery without a license, cruelty to goats, breaking and entering, blowing up an orphanage, wearing socks with sandals-"

"I never wore socks with sandals!" Jack cut in sharply.

"Really?" Officer Officer scoffed. "Out of all the crimes listed, _that's_ the one you take issue with?"

"Fair enough," Jack said with a shrug. "Okay, so I actually have to go into that room and grab my... completely necessary medication."

"Nice try." Officer Officer folded his arms. "But nothing's gonna fool me."

Thinking quickly, Jack turned and pointed down the hall. "Look, a decoy!"

"What? Where?" Officer Officer turned from the door and ran off.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked," Jack chuckled, stepping through the door.

* * *

Upon entering the room, Jack found a box in his way. Beyond the box, the storage room barely looked cluttered. Shelves full of crates and cages stood in a maze-like formation, and different colored crystals hovered just above the floor. "What a weird way to arrange this room," he murmured, pushing the box aside to enter.

"Hey! Can anyone hear me?"

Jack looked around at the voice that called him. "Who said that?"

"Over here, in the cage!"

On his left side, a stack of crates shook violently. Jack ran up to them and quickly saw the culprit; a purple dragon the size of a Labrador locked up in a cage, bashing at the bars with his horns. "Wait… Spyro?"

"Huh?" Hearing his name, the dragon stopped his attack and looked up at the Irishman. "Oh, you're not one of the guards. Who are you?"

"Um, I'm Jack."

Spyro's eyes lit up. "You're the Jack? Who played my game a year ago?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Jack replied. "What are you doing in The Escapists? I didn't think they took guys like you."

"Well, you remember when you played Animal Inspector some time ago?" Jack nodded and Spyro continued, "Recently, they decided to set up their work at Jack McSwaggerson's to run reports on animals and determine their place in Wireland."

"So again, why are you here?"

Spyro gave an angry sigh, puffing smoke through his nose. "Accidental arson, they said. It's not my fault I sneezed and set fire to Sugar Plumps' house. She'd already done it once in her own game."

"Man, that sucks," Jack muttered.

"And to add insult to incarceration, the inspectors have listed me 'too dangerous to live in town.' How is that fair?" Spyro growled. "There are far more dangerous creatures than me, and I've fought dozens of them in my game."

Jack placed a calming hand on the dragon's head. "Listen, Spyro, I'm trying to break out of prison. Maybe I can help you out. Can you tell me where I can find something called a hydrospersion key?"

"Yeah, I heard the guards talking about something like that," Spyro recalled. "They locked it in a cool silver box on the other side of the room. I can help you if you let me out of this cage."

Jack examined the lock on the cage then took Sam out of his pocket. "Alright, buddy, how good are you at picking locks?"

With an eager chirp, Sam stuck his tail into the lock and rummaged around until it clicked open.

"Nice one, Sam!" Jack cheered, opening the cage.

"Thanks, Jack." Spyro stretched his legs out and flapped his wings. "Ah, feels good to move again."

"So, what next?" Jack asked, placing Sam on his shoulder.

"The chest has been locked by a rather complicated system," Spyro explained. "Unfortunately, they tranquilized me before I could learn more. I think the crystals might be involved somehow."

"Hello, Queen Elizabeth."

Jack turned at the familiar voice and saw Evie standing by a crate. "Evie, why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," Evie answered stoically.

As Spyro sighed and turned away, Jack closed his eyes, already regretting his conversation. "Okay, well, what do you want to talk about? Is this some kind of weird hint system or something?"

"Yes, I can give you a hint if you want."

"Alright, lay it on me," Jack moaned. "Let's see what kind of hint you can give me."

"The crystals slide across the floor without stopping unless they hit a stationary object," Evie explained. "You can easily move boxes; they'll only go one space. Switches reset everything, and it's all color-coded."

"Wow," Jack cried. "That was surprisingly coherent!"

"I get that reaction a lot."

"Well, thank you."

"I don't know what won't make matters worse," Evie said. "I think it is just a show that people put on because they don't like my resistance to a hierarchical group membership."

"And we're back again," Jack sighed, just as Evie winked. "STOP WINKING AT ME!"

"Hey, Jack, I found some buttons around here," Spyro called, running back to him. "I think we have to push the crystals onto them to unlock the chest."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack replied, walking up to a yellow crystal. "Okay, I may need you to stand in its path. Think you can handle it?"

Spyro trotted over to the switch and braced himself. "Go for it."

Jack placed both hands on the crystal and gave it a shove. The crystal slid across the floor like a curling stone and slammed into Spyro's side, almost knocking him off his feet. With a grunt, Spyro dug in his claws then pushed the crystal into place with his tail.

"Nice!" Jack beamed.

For the next few minutes, Jack and Spyro worked on the puzzle, alternating solutions. For the blue crystal, Spyro again stood in its path to stop it missing the switch. For the other two, Jack pushed some boxes around to make a path for Spyro to push the crystal. While they worked, Jack spotted another TARDIS barely obscured by barrels.

As the last crystal settled on the switch, Jack heard a click from the silver box. "Sounds like we did it," he said. "Thanks a bunch, Spyro!"

"No problem," Spyro replied.

Jack went up to the chest and pulled it open. "What the…?"

"What's up?" Spyro asked, walking up to him. "Is something bad in there?"

"No, that's the problem," Jack sighed angrily. "There's nothing in it!"

"Say what?" Spyro looked at the empty chest and took a sniff. "There's some sort of strange smell in there. It's almost like… Swedish meatballs?"

"Felix!" Jack snapped, turning to the door. "That son of a biscuit stole my stuff! I'm going to have some words with him."

Jack stormed over to the door and grabbed the handle… but to his surprise, he found that he couldn't open it. "Ah crap, it's locked!"

"Let me have a go." Spyro lowered his head and charged at full pelt, slamming into the door. "Oof!" he gasped, stumbling back. "That door's stronger than it looks…"

"Well, at least I have someone on the outside… and Billy," Jack added. "Come on, let's get to that TARDIS. Hopefully, the phone will work…"

* * *

Back in the cafeteria, Billy paced around the tables, waiting for news from Jack. Jenny sat on a stool, humming softly to herself. "I believe… I believe in you. I believe… I believe in Steve. In Steve, hmm-mm, in Steve. Grab the glory, all the way to victory…"

Just then, they heard a phone ringing nearby. "Do you hear that?" Billy cried.

"It's coming from the TARDIS," Jenny realized, jumping to her feet.

Running up to the blue box, Jenny pulled open the instruction panel and answered the phone behind it. "Hello?"

"Jenny, it's me!"

"Jack?" Jenny gasped. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm in the storage room," Jack explained. "Our stuff's not in there, and I got locked in. I need you and Billy to find a way to help me out."

Billy smiled cheekily. "So you're stuck in the storage room, huh?"

"Just get me out of here, okay?" Jack muttered.

"We can do that, no problem!" Jenny reassured him.

"Thanks, Jenny! We'll be waiting."

"Bye, Jack!" Jenny said before hanging up. "Come on, Billy, let's go."

Outside the cafeteria, Billy and Jenny saw that Officer Officer had returned to the door. "I don't know what Jack did to get that guard away," Billy said. "We might need some help on this."

"Maybe one of the other prisoners has an idea," Jenny suggested.

"Good thinking," Billy replied. "I think Mark might be in the library. He said he wanted to increase his intelligence to get the library job."

"That makes sense," Jenny said.

Sure enough, they found Mark in the library reading a book titled 'Escaping with Finesse: How to Not Get Caught (or Die Trying)'. "Um… excuse me, Mark?"

"Yes?" Mark asked, looking up from his book.

"So, uh…" Jenny gulped, nervous at being so close to Mark. "I was wondering if you happened to know…"

"How can we knock out a guard in one hit?" Billy asked, getting straight to the point.

Mark glared at Billy for a moment then turned to Jenny. "Do you let him interrupt you like that all the time?"

"No," Jenny replied, slightly affronted. "I just met him actually."

"A word to the wise: don't let this little shilling interrupt you," Mark advised. "Anyway, you could try hitting him with a cup of molten chocolate. You'll just need to steal a chocolate bar, a cup, and a lighter."

"That could work," Billy agreed.

"Now I don't where you'd get a lighter, but you can probably find the other ingredients in the kitchen," Mark continued. "If you jiggle the handle enough, it'll open, even if it's locked."

"Thank you, Mark!" Jenny cried.

* * *

Upon returning to the cafeteria, Jenny kept watch while Billy went to the kitchen door. True to Mark's word, the door opened after a few hard rattles. "We're in," he called.

The two slipped into the kitchen and made their way through to the serving area. Jenny opened the nearest fridge and found a chocolate bar, while Billy picked up a cup from the scullery.

"That's two of them," Jenny said as they made their way back. "Boy, this chocolate sure looks really good."

"You could grab another one if you're hungry," Billy offered.

"I can't, I'm diabetic," Jenny sighed. "Although, does it count inside a computer?"

"Probably best not to risk it," Billy replied.

"So, where do you think we can find a lighter?" Jenny asked.

"I dunno. Do you smoke?"

"Only when I'm on fire," Jenny joked.

"Cute," Billy scoffed. "Well, I know someone who does."

With that, they returned to the cells where they found Max and Chloe loitering by the entrance.

"Hey, Chloe, you smoke!" Billy said. "Give me your lighter."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Did a cop put you up to this?"

"Well, no," Jenny replied. "But we need the lighter to knock one out."

"Cool." With a sly smirk, Chloe took out her lighter and handed it to Billy. "Take it."

"Perfect," Billy said. "Let's take these back to Mark."

* * *

"I think we got everything we need," Jenny said once they met up with Mark in the library.

"Great! Give me a second." Mark opened up the chocolate bar, broke it into pieces and tipped them into the cup. Then he flicked on the lighter and held it under the cup until the chocolate had melted, then he handed it to Jenny. "Here. Man, I always thought it was funny how it stays molten for as long as it does. It'd be a lot less dangerous and a lot more sticky if it was a cup of regular chocolate."

"Thanks a lot," Billy said. "Now, come on, Jenny, before the chocolate solidifies."

Quickly, they hurried back to the main hallway and approached Officer Officer, who turned to glare at them. "Scram, mini maggots!"

"Now, Jenny!" Billy shouted.

Without hesitating, Jenny swung the cup out, splashing the melted chocolate right into the guard's face.

"AAAHH, MY EYES!" Officer Officer screamed, running away from the door.

Billy went over and tried to open the door, to no avail. "It's locked."

"There's a number panel here," Jenny pointed out. "But what's the code for it?"

"How should I know?" Billy grunted. "I hate this thing!"

"Wait a minute…" Jenny rapped on the door. "Jack! Can you hear me?"

Inside the storage room, Jack looked up at Jenny's voice. "They're here!"

Leaving Spyro by the box, he ran over to the door. "Jenny, Billy, can you get me out?"

"That's the trouble," Billy replied. "The door has a combination lock. Is there any chance you can help us?"

"I can," Jack said. "While I was waiting, I found a bit of paper with some numbers and the days of the week. Each day has a different set of numbers on it, but I don't know what day it is."

"Hey, there's a guard schedule on the wall out here," Jenny said. "What's the name of the officer on duty?"

"Officer Officer."

"Okay… Officer Officer… Here it is. It's Thursday!"

Jack looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Spyro, what's the code for Thursday?"

"5225," Spyro called back.

"Try 5225," Jack told his friends.

He heard the sound of beeping outside the door then it unlocked. "Got it!" Jenny cheered.

Jack made to open the door but paused. "Hey, Spyro, do you want to come with me and Sam?"

"I wish I could," Spyro sighed, walking up to him. "But the guards would spot me instantly. I'll have to stay here for now."

Jack knew that Spyro was right, but he felt guilty at the thought of leaving him behind. "I'm coming back for you," he promised. "I have to return the favor somehow."

Spyro smiled then ran back to his cage. "See you soon."

With a nod, Jack picked up Sam then exited the storage room, meeting up with Jenny and Billy. "Thanks for getting us out."

"It was not trouble," Jenny beamed.

"Actually it was a lot of trouble," Billy grumbled.

"Shut up, Billy!" Jack snapped.

"What do you want to do now?" Jenny asked.

Jack scowled and turned to leave the hallway. "I need to visit a certain Swedish friend of mine…"

* * *

 **And we'll find out what happens with Felix in the next chapter.**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **I wanted Spyro to appear in the story, but I didn't know where he would fit in. I then remembered when Jack played Animal Inspector, and I thought, what if those guys joined forces with The Escapists to incarcerate animal and creature characters that did wrong? Then I could justify Spyro being there to help Jack.**


	7. Ch 6: Breaking Free

**DISCLAIMER: Get ready for some severe roasting! Also, there's another puzzle solution ahead, so you've been warned.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Breaking Free

Out in the prison yard, Jack spotted Felix leaning up against the wall, under some graffiti that read 'The Boss is Nothing.'

"Sup," Felix stated coolly.

"You know what's 'sup', brother!" Jack retorted in Papyrus' voice. "You've got my hydrospersion key!"

"Says you," Felix scowled.

"Give it back!" Jack yelled.

Felix folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Oh… I have an idea…" Jack whipped out a pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses and slipped them on upside-down. "I challenge you to a roast-off!"

"Challenge accepted," Felix growled, putting on some sunglasses too. "Your move."

Jack rubbed his hands together. "You played Happy Wheels so much that you can't ride a bicycle without falling to pieces, and you know it's true!"

Felix recoiled, feeling the pain. "Oh yeah? Well, you were really jumpy during P.T., and the holes in your ceiling prove it!"

"Puh-lease, you call that a roast?" Jack snapped. "Your channel is nothing but clickbait, and they're not even falling for it, you money-hungry twit! ROASTED!"

"Good one," Felix smirked. "But your voice cracks so easily, not even super glue can repair it, you prepubescent green highlighter!"

"Hey!" Jack cried, staggering back in shock.

"Ready to give in, buddy?" Felix taunted.

"I'm only getting started," Jack countered, wiping his chin. "Your voice is so hoarse, it sounds like you've been smoking since nursery school, and that's a fact!"

"Hmph," Felix snorted. "Well, guess what? Your fans find you so boring, you could yell them to sleep, and you wouldn't be here if it weren't true!"

"Oh, my dignity!" Jack grunted sarcastically. "But I've got news for you, buster! Your dog Edgar has actually read his namesake unlike you, ya son of a barrel!"

Felix clenched his fists tight. "Well, you must be a potato, because you are what you eat!"

Jack let out an angry snort. "Oh yeah? Well, you're one duck shy of a-"

"What's going on here?" Jack and Felix spun around at the shout to see the mustached warden glaring at them. "That's it! Straight to solitary!"

"Oh, perfect," Jack groaned.

The guard called his mate over, and they marched Jack and Felix back into the prison. Quickly, Jack opened his pocket. "Sam, go get Jenny and Billy. Let them know what happened."

With a nod, Sam bounded out while the guards weren't looking and scurried away.

* * *

Jenny and Billy had returned to the cafeteria, waiting for Jack to come back.

"Do you think Felix will return our stuff if Jack asked nicely?" Jenny questioned.

"I highly doubt that," Billy replied. "Felix is one stubborn Swede. But I'm sure Jack can work something out."

At that moment, Sam came hopping into the room, squeaking urgently.

"Sam!" Billy cried, picking the eyeball up. "What happened? Where's Jack?" Sam gave some loud squeaks in reply. "What? Jack tried to roast Felix to get the key back, but the guards heard the commotion and locked them both in solitary?"

"That's awful," Jenny cried. "We have to get him out."

"I guess we have to," Billy sighed.

"It almost sounds like you don't want to help Jack," Jenny accused. Sam looked over at her sadly. "Don't worry, Sam. Of course we're going to help him."

Sam turned back to Billy and squeaked again.

"Be more like Jenny?" Billy scoffed. "You do realize that she's Jack's fan. You'd think that her being here _because_ of that fact would make her less forgiving."

"I don't mind," Jenny laughed. "This is fun!"

"Ugh, fine," Billy groaned. "We need to find the right key. I think the guards usually carry them."

"I don't think we should knock out more guards," Jenny said nervously.

"Then we'll just have to find another way," Billy replied.

"Okay!" Jenny scooped up Sam and placed him on her shoulder. "We'd better hurry. Evening roll call's in about ten minutes."

* * *

Mark was still busy in the library, so Jenny and Billy went to the cells again.

"Hi, Max," Jenny called. "So… we need to bust Jack out of solitary. Do you have any idea on how we can maybe do that?"

"Well, my old roommate stole and collected a bunch of keys," Max recalled. "She put them on the table, but I don't know which is which." She led Jenny and Billy into the cell and pointed at the table with the flowerpot, book, poison, pint, and bottle. "She left a sheet of paper with a weird poem on it. I think it has something to do with finding which key in which container. Hopefully, you can figure it out better than I can."

Jenny took the paper and read through it. "'No water, you see, for the office key. The kitchen is said to be hidden in red. Solitary, I fear, is devoid of beer. The flowers bloom farthest from cellular rooms.'"

Billy walked over to the table, looking at the items. "Hmmm… So, maybe… Let's think this through. 'No water, you see, for the office key' must mean that it won't be under the unlabeled bottle."

"'The kitchen is said to be hidden in red'," Jenny added. "So it could be either under the book or the poison."

"'Solitary, I fear, is devoid of beer' would rule out the beer for its location."

"And 'the flowers bloom farthest from cellular rooms'…" Jenny shook her head. "I still don't know which is right."

"I have an idea," Billy said. "We'll each take a key and figure it out from there."

So, Billy took the axe key from the poison while Jenny took the gold key from the flowerpot. Then they both hurried to the solitary confinement room.

As they approached the door, Jack ran up to the bars. "Guys! Thank goodness!"

"Hold tight, Jack!" Jenny called.

Billy tried his key first, but it didn't turn in the lock. Jenny then inserted the gold key… and the door clicked open.

"You got it!" Jack cheered, running out of the cell and hugging Jenny. "You guys are the best!"

"Are you alright?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, sure, never better!" Jack beamed. "Outside of being stuck in my own computer, I guess."

"Well, you were in there for quite a while," Jenny said, pulling out of the hug. "I hear solitary does things to you."

"Nah, not a problem!" Jack reassured her. "I'm like rubber; things just bounce off of me- Squirrel!" He looked into the distance for a few seconds then turned back. "Anyway, I'm fine."

Billy shook his head. "So after all that, do you think we can actually, you know, get out of here?"

"I think that can be arranged," Jack agreed. "But first…" He walked over to the neighboring cell.

"Please get me out of here!" Felix pleaded.

"No dice," Jack retorted. "Now, hand over the hydrospersion key!"

"Fine, take it!" Felix tossed the key at Jack's feet.

"Thank you," Jack smiled, picking up the key. "Now was that so hard to do? See you at roll call!"

* * *

At nightfall, the prisoners all gathered in the yard.

"Now, I'd better not see any more trouble, or you're all in solitary!" the black guard warned.

"And don't even think about escaping tonight," added his mustached co-worker.

"We have guards set up at all perimeters. Nothing's gonna get past us! So just get to bed. It's going to be a long, hard night. Dismissed!"

* * *

After light's out, Jack peeked out at his fellow prisoners. "So… are we planning an escape attempt or what?"

"Well, it's not broad daylight," Mark replied from next door. "But I do think we need the cop uniforms."

"You're in luck," Chloe called from the cell across from Mark and Felix. "I was on the laundry duty today, and I managed to snag a whole bunch of them!"

"I found a prisoner's stash with a shovel in solitary," Felix added.

"The only problem is that we don't have the key to the cells," Max pointed out.

"Yes, we do," Jenny said, stepping up to the table in the cell she shared with Max. "Remember the poem? 'The flowers bloom farthest from cellular rooms'. Therefore…" She went up to the unlabeled bottle, took out the brown key from under it and unlocked her cell. "Got it!"

"Good job remembering!" Billy cheered as she unlocked his and Jack's cell.

"This is so exciting!" Jenny squealed.

"You're telling me!" Jack cried, sharing her joy. "Okay, you unlock everyone's cells. Chloe, get the guard uniforms out. And Felix, start digging through the floor!"

Sam then let out a squeak and pointed his tail out the door.

"Oh right," Jack remembered. "I'll be back, guys."

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked as she freed Chloe.

"To fulfil a promise I made to someone," Jack replied, leaving the cells.

* * *

Peeking around the corner, Jack saw Officer Officer standing outside the storage room door, his face still showing the burns from the melted chocolate.

He ducked back into the shadows and pulled Sam out. "Okay, Sam, you go into the cafeteria and make as loud a commotion as you can to draw him away. Then I'll get into the storage room and spring Spyro out."

With a nod, Sam jumped to the floor and bounded away to the cafeteria.

Jack leaned against the wall and began to count silently. Just as he reached twelve, he heard a loud clatter, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

"Who's out there?" Officer Officer bellowed, running towards the sounds.

Once the coast was clear, Jack ran up to the door, punched in the code, and dashed inside. "Spyro, are you there?"

"Jack, you came back!" Spyro called, running up to him.

"I told you I would," Jack beamed, patting the dragon's head. "Let's get going."

Jack and Spyro ran out of the storage room, picking up Sam on the way, and back to the cells, just seconds before Officer Officer came back.

* * *

As they entered the cells, Jack almost jumped at the guards gathered there before remembering that it was just his friends in disguise.

"You're back," Jenny cried then she gasped. "Spyro?"

"He was locked up in the storage room," Jack explained. "He helped me out in there, and now I'm returning the favor."

"Luckily I stole an extra uniform," Chloe said, handing one to Jack. "But he'll have to stand on his hind legs to seem more believable."

Quickly, Jack slipped into his uniform then helped Spyro dress up before helping him stand upright.

"This does not feel natural," Spyro grunted, struggling to keep balance.

"Don't worry, it's just for a short while," Jack said. "Now, let's move out!"

With that, the group went to Felix's hole and climbed down into it.

* * *

At the bottom of the hole, the former prisoners found themselves at the entrance to a maze of hedges.

"Why is there a hedge maze underneath a prison?" Jack asked.

"Alphys did say games would blend into each other," Billy recalled.

"Still, that's pretty weird," Jack said.

"I think we can get out if we wander around a lot," Jenny said.

Cautiously, they set off into the maze, but the place was completely dark. In a few minutes, they were hopelessly lost.

They paused next to a wall bearing another graffiti message. "'The Boss is Nothing'?" Billy read. "Spooky."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "What a weird coincidence."

"Are you sure it's a coincidence?" Billy asked.

"I'm hoping so."

"This is useless," Mark sighed. "We've been going around in circles, and we can't find a way out."

Just then, a bright light flashed out in the darkness.

"AH, JIMMY CROW!" Jack gasped, dazzled by the light. "What is that?"

"The guards!" Chloe cried. "They've spotted us!"

But then, they heard something that wasn't a guard shouting. Instead, it was a shrill buzzing voice that said, "Spyro, I finally found you!"

Spyro gasped in delight. "Sparx, is that you?"

Once Jack's eyes had adjusted, he could see that the light was coming from a yellow dragonfly hovering before them. "It is Sparx! What are you doing out here?"

"After Spyro got taken by animal control, I tried to follow him but lost my way," Sparx explained. "Since then, I've been tracing their steps. I found this maze a few days ago, and I waited here, hoping that Spyro would escape somehow."

"Hey, that gives me an idea!" Billy cried. "Sparx can light the way ahead of us, and warn us if the guards are coming."

"Yeah," Spyro agreed. "How's about it, Sparx? You up for leading us out?"

"Sure thing," Sparx nodded.

With Sparx guiding the way, the group soon found their way through the maze, avoiding the patrols. Then, just as they were close to the exit, they spotted a familiar skeleton skulking in the shadows.

"Sans? What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"Heya, wanna buy some merch?" Sans offered.

"I'm kinda trying to escape from prison."

"Perfect," Sans beamed. "Wanna buy a lockpick?"

"How did you even get here?" Jack asked.

"That's for me to know and you to not know," Sans replied with a wink. "So, lockpick?"

Jack chuckled. "Thanks, but I think I'll take my chances."

"Suit yourself," Sans said before disappearing into the shadows.

"That guy is so weird," Spyro muttered.

"Up ahead," Sparx called, hovering over a staircase. "This is the way out of here."

"Awesome!" Jack cried.

* * *

The stairs led them out into a garden in Wireland. Jack looked around until he spotted his apartment, Trico still resting comfortably on the roof. "We're almost home, guys," he told the group. "Felix, I know you have our outfits so you hand them out once we get there."

Billy led the group into the apartment, but Spyro and Sparx stayed back. Jack paused at the hole and turned around. "Come on, guys. Don't you want to come in and see my home?"

"The invitation does sound promising," Spyro replied, shrugging out of his disguise. "But I'm afraid I have to say no."

"Aw, why?" Jack asked.

"Spyro's been gone from his game for a long time," Sparx explained. "Hunter and the others are probably worried sick."

"But it's been so great to finally meet you," Spyro added. "It's not often you get to meet the person who played my game."

Jack smiled and walked over to Spyro. "Well, it's not often I get to see someone who's been part of my childhood memories. I'll miss you, buddy."

"Likewise, Jack." Spyro lifted his paw and shook Jack's hand. "I'll never forget what you did for me today."

With that, he turned and flapped his wings, taking off over the roofs of Wireland with Sparx at his side.

"Goodbye, Spyro! Stay out of trouble this time!" Jack waved them off, wiping a tear from his eye. Then he turned to enter his home. "Alright, time to see the damage so far…"

* * *

 **I'm not gonna lie, I nearly teared up at that last scene.**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **I didn't want Sam to end up stuck with Jack, so I had him slip out to warn Jenny and Billy. Solitary usually has small cells anyway, so how would a TARDIS fit in there?**


	8. Ch 7: A Blast from the Past

**DISCLAIMER: This episode contains appearances of some very beloved characters.**

* * *

Chapter 7: A Blast from the Past

Jack let out a sigh and stretched his arms. He had just finished changing back into his normal clothes, and now he placed Sam into his hood. "Man, I am definitely never wearing orange again."

Looking around, he spotted Jenny chatting with a blue-haired child wearing a mask. "Hey, Jenny," he called, walking to her side.

"Hi, Jack," Jenny smiled.

"Where are the others?" Jack asked.

"Mark and Felix left to rejoin their fan bass," Jenny explained. "Max and Chloe have joined the queue to Sans' shop. And Billy's around here somewhere. Anyway, I've just been talking to Sally Face here; he told me that you might be playing the next episode of his game."

"I was actually, right before I ended up here." Jack turned and smiled at Sally Face. "Hey, Sal."

"Hi, Jack," Sal replied, in the husky voice that Jack had just given him when he started Episode 2. "How is Wireland so far?"

"Weird," Jack admitted. "But it feels like home, kinda. Maybe because, in a way, I built it myself."

"Yeah, I guess I understand that," Sal replied with a nod. "Well, if you ever need someone to show you around, you know where to find me. I totally know how it feels to be in a new place full of weird people."

"I suppose you would have a lot of experience with that," Jenny agreed.

"Weird people? Really?" Billy snapped, joining the conversation. With him were three other Billys; one with freakish muscles, one that looked pixelated, and a ghostly one.

"It's literally your job to get torn to pieces for the amusement of sadists," Sal replied.

Billy rolled his eyes. "I mean, okay, yeah, that is weird if we're comparing it to jobs outside of Wireland, but it's pretty standard here."

"Still, it's an adjustment," Sal went on. "You don't meet people like us everywhere you go."

"How true that is!" Jack turned to Billy then noticed the other children. "Is that… another Billy? This is like my worst nightmare come true."

"Well, if you didn't want there to be so many of us," scoffed the freaky Billy, "why did you inspire your fans by yelling at us so much?"

"Can't argue with that!" chuckled the original Billy.

"Shut up, Billy!" Jack snapped.

"Which one?"

"All of them!"

"But this Billy is the coolest," Billy argued, nodding at the freak Billy.

Jack looked the freak Billy up and down. "Didn't you create a zombie army and then attack me during my one million subscriber party?"

Original Billy shrugged. "Eh, details."

"Well, still, it's cool to meet the guy whose party I tried to crash," said the freak Billy.

"Your game was cool though," Jack admitted, recalling the memories of the fan game. "So, I guess I'll let you off the hook for that."

"Thank you… I think…"

Jack then looked at the pixelated Billy and the ghost Billy. "Why are there so many versions of Billy here?"

"Oh, I don't know, Jack," Original Billy stated sarcastically. "Maybe because you wouldn't stop ranting and raving about how evil I am?"

"You make it seem like it's my fault," Jack muttered.

As the trio made to enter the kitchen, Jack spotted a younger child hanging out by the door. "NUGGET!"

"Nugget is deeply perturbed," said the Kindergartner sadly.

"What is it this time, Nugget?" Billy sighed.

"The nugget of friendship has been engulfed by the flames of disaster."

"What flames?" Jack asked.

"Literal flames. You have seen the kitchen, have you not?"

Jack glanced through the door, seeing the huge black scorch marks. "Aww, I'm sorry. Do you want a new nugget?"

"The vault of nuggets has been reduced to ashes," Nugget sniffed. "So, too, have all Nugget's opportunities for friendship. Alas."

"I'm sure the fridge is fine, Nugget," Billy replied.

Nugget shook his head. "It has been penetrated by flames. All is lost."

"We could probably get some more at Bosco's," Jack offered.

"Nugget's friendship cannot be bought so easily. It must be earned through trial."

"Jack… can we get a move on?" Billy moaned. "I'm gonna lose my mind."

Jack smirked at Billy. "Shouldn't you two be best friends considering that you both have an unnaturally large vocabulary for your age?"

"Vocabulary does not equal friendship!" Billy yelled.

"Enough talking now," Nugget stated, waving his hand. "Shoo."

* * *

Giving the severely fire-damaged kitchen a wide berth, Jack, Sam, Billy, and Jenny decided to check into Sans' shop.

"My God!" Jack gasped upon entering the bathroom. The whole place had somehow grown longer, to accommodate the line of people waiting at the shop. "Have I always had this red carpet?"

"Look at them all!" Jenny breathed, staring at the people in the line. "There's Alex and Jonas from Oxenfree; Segway Steve; so many game characters in one place!"

"I know, right? It's pretty overwhelming!" Jack agreed, spotting Frisk in the line. "Hiya, Frisk!"

The child smiled and waved their hand.

"Yeah, Frisk doesn't talk all that much," Billy said. "It's one of the drawbacks to being kind of an empty slate character."

"Ahh, sorry about that," Jack muttered. Frisk just nodded.

"They make really good origami, actually," Billy added. "You should see their collection! I think Alphys taught them when they locked in a meat freezer together."

"They got locked in a meat freezer together?"

"It wasn't plugged in so they didn't freeze, but yeah. It's kind of a long story." Billy then snorted in laughter. "But man, I'd never seen Toriel yell like that! It was actually kinda scary…" he finished nervously.

"Hey," Jenny cried, pointing to a blank-faced kid in a red shirt. "Isn't that the kid from Inside?"

"Whoa, so it is!" Jack said.

Billy smiled. "We play kickball together sometimes with Fran Bow, Monster Kid, the other Billys, Frisk, Sal, the boys from Limbo and Last Guardian, and all the kids from Kindergarten! We have a blast!"

"Cool," Jack beamed. "Nice to know you all get along!"

They made their way to the front of the queue to talk to Sans, who had changed his top for a Septic Eye T-shirt.

"Heya," Sans called. "Like what I did to the place?"

"Did I always have that red carpet?" Jack asked, repeating his earlier question.

"I dunno," Sans replied with a shrug. "I don't live here."

"So how do you keep making this place bigger anyway?"

Sans looked around the place in mock curiosity. "It's bigger? I didn't notice. So uh… let's go with something weird like… British sci-fi technology. That work?"

"I guess so," Jack decided.

"Hey, it works for Doctor Who, so why not?" Jenny said. "It's really cool to meet you, Sans."

"Oh hey," Sans said, noticing Jenny for the first time. "Where are you from? Life is Strange?"

"Well, that's not an inaccurate description of my life right now," Jenny chuckled. "But no, I'm a real person."

"Great!" Sans smiled. "While I've got you here, can I interest you in a subscription to Wireland Weekly? I'll cut you a deal. It's normally 2 bytes a month, but because I like you, I'll offer it for 25 bytes a year."

"Sans!" snapped a white goat-person in a purple robe next to the line.

"Yeah, Tori?"

"Either you're in desperate need of a calculator, or you were about to knowingly rip off this nice young lady."

"Careful, Sans," Jack warned behind his hand. "Toriel's got her serious glasses on!"

"I'm just kidding," Sans giggled nervously. "What's the point of having a store if you can't have fun with the customers?"

"Oh, actually, I wasn't interested in subscribing anyway," Jenny answered honestly. "Sorry."

"That's alright," Sans replied. "The magazine has a bad case of not existing, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

With a shake of his head, Jack turned to the goat-mom. "Hi, Toriel!"

"Why, hello, Jack," Toriel beamed. "It is lovely to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Jack said, shaking her paw. "Are you in line to buy something?"

"Oh no," Toriel chuckled. "I am merely helping around the house and shop, mostly just with keeping things tidy."

Jack frowned. "I guess you don't really have time for baking, then?"

"Well, I could always do that while I'm cleaning but…" Toriel let out a heavy sigh. "It is best if I delay it until the kitchen is in a more suitable state for baking."

"I… should have figured," Jack muttered.

"I love Papyrus and Undyne as if they were my own brother and sister, but sometimes…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Ah well, I must not dwell on the negatives. They are such wonderful people when they are not committing arson."

"It was kind of funny when Undyne set fire to her kitchen," Jenny laughed. "And Jack's reaction to that whole series of events was priceless!"

"I am glad that you enjoyed my cooking, Jack," Toriel said. "When the oven has been repaired, I shall bake you one of my favorites."

"Butterscotch-cinnamon pie?" Jack gasped.

"Even better; snail pie!"

Jack barely choked down his vomit. "Sounds… fantastic."

"I am only joking, dear!" Toriel laughed. Next to her, Sans began to chuckle, and even Sam squeaked in laughter. "I will give key lime pie a try. It's Undyne's favorite, you know."

"Mine too!" Jack smiled. "That stuff's delicious."

"It's certainly safer than eating limes whole. What a choking hazard."

"Knowing Undyne, she can handle it," Jack said.

"Papyrus had to give her the Heimlich maneuver thirty minutes ago because of a lime."

"Ooh," Jack grimaced. "We should probably remind her to chew. Then she can handle it."

* * *

Leaving the shop for another time, Jack and his friends went back to the recording room. They found Alphys, Undyne, and Papyrus waiting for them, along with four animal characters: a black cat with a torn ear, an orange fox wearing a black leather jacket, a greyish alligator in gothic clothing holding a cigarette in her jaws, and a brown bear in a suit, hat, and glasses.

"Hey, Night in the Woods characters!" Jack cheered and clapped his hands. "Yes!"

"Jack?" cried the orange fox excitedly. "Jack, is that you? I've been hearing all about you and how you're here!"

"Hey, Gregg!" Jack beamed, sharing his excitement. "Yep, it's me!"

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Gregg let out a happy scream and started waving his arms. "Did you hear? It's him!"

"Yes, we heard," said Bea, in her low gravelly voice.

"Have you come to do crimes with us?" Gregg asked. "It'll be awesome!"

"Yes!" cheered Mae. "We can finally do all those things our lack of opposable thumbs keep us from doing!"

"Sounds fun," Jenny smiled. "But we did just get out of prison."

Gregg frowned. "But we were finally going to take down our robot overlords!"

"Sounds awesome!" Jack cried. "What will we be doing exactly?"

"Most likely destroying the automatic check-out at the grocery store," Bea answered.

"She is stealing all of our money to use for her evil plans to put Donut Wolfs out of business," Mae explained. "…Donut Wolves?"

"I am fairly certain that is just mindless speculation," Angus argued.

"So how are we going to do it?" Jack asked.

" _We_ aren't," Billy cut in sharply. "If _you_ want to, _you_ can go back to prison. I have other better things to do. And besides, why bother?"

"To become good friends with Gregg and Mae!" Jack replied.

Papyrus folded his arms with a snort. "I am very good friends with them, and I never do crimes with them."

"Maybe not," Angus said. "But the fires you all set are getting to be very expensive to put out."

"Those were accidents!" Papyrus argued. "I was teaching them how to make spaghetti!"

"Ah, my old family recipe," Undyne stated approvingly.

"You mean torching it until it is barely recognizable as pasta is a family recipe?" Angus asked.

"Yep!" Undyne nodded.

"It's the best way to make spaghetti!" Gregg agreed.

"It's as expensive as gourmet pasta from Pastabilities, but twice the fun!" Mae added.

"Yes, but you get to eat that afterwards," Bea argued.

"Well, thanks for coming to visit us," Mae said. "Hopefully, we're not, like, lame or something."

"Nah, you're not lame," Jack replied.

"I liked your game a lot," Jenny added.

Mae smiled happily, her torn ear twitching slightly. "Flattery will get you everywhere!"

"That's just because you're easy to please," Bea scoffed.

"Yep," Mae said simply.

Jack then walked up to Alphys and took out the hydrospersion key. "Oh good," Alphys said. "I s-see you found it. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Jack said, handing it to her. "It was no problem."

"Speak for yourself," Billy scoffed.

Alphys then spotted Jenny and blushed. "S-sorry, I don't think I recognize you… Jack's other companion."

"Oh, I'm Jenny," the subscriber replied. "Nice to meet you, Alphys. You were always my favorite."

"W-wow, really? Thanks!"

Alphys turned back to the computer and inserted the key into a USB port. Jack went up to her and Sam bounded onto the desk next to the keyboard. "So, did you make any progress on that firewall?"

"Well…" Alphys sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Sorry, Jack, but whoever installed it really knew what they were doing. I can't m-make a dent in it. The best I can do is send you out for the rest of the keys."

"So, back to Wireland for the next two keys?" Jack sighed.

"I-If you don't mind."

"You were gone a _really_ long time this time," Undyne said. "What did you do?"

"You really don't want to know what we went through for this part," Billy deadpanned.

"Well, I'm glad you're back, and that you brought new friends!" Papyrus cried before turning to Undyne. "Do you know what game's she's from?"

"Well, I'm not from a game," Jenny explained. "Not really."

Undyne's eye widened. "Whoa, are you another player?"

"Yeah, I love your game," Jenny said. "It's one of my favorites."

Billy looked irritated. "No love for mine, I see."

"Everyone has their own opinion," Jack said. "Actually, Alphys, I have a question for you. Well, for all of you, really. How come some of the Wireland residents act exactly like their game counterparts while others… don't?"

Alphys paused in her work and turned to him. "It's… sort of a combination of canon and wh-whatver life the player gives us."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I give you life?"

"Of course," Alphys replied. "You influence canon as much as canon."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"So you're the Forest God?" Mae asked.

"What?" Jack gasped. "No, I'm not a god!"

"But you give us life!" Mae cried, raising her arms.

"Wait, I got it!" Gregg shouted. "Maybe we're all Frankensteins!"

"Actually, Jack is Frankenstein," Bea corrected. "We're all just his monsters."

"AWOOOOOOO!" Gregg howled in excitement. "Wait, if we're monsters, does that mean I can't love Angus anymore?"

"Well, Alphys and Undyne love each other and they're monsters," Bea pointed out. "So you two should be fine."

"Good save," Undyne said. "I was about to take offense to that, Gregg."

"But moving back to the topic," Jack cut in, "how do I influence canon?"

"You kind of fill in all the gaps the writers left out, like giving us voices, and our little stories," Bea explained.

"Oh, is that why Alphys and I sound really similar?" Mae asked. "I always thought it was because we were separated at birth. We look so much alike."

Sam glanced between Mae and Alphys then shook itself with a low growl.

"Wait, then why do Undyne and I sound alike?" Gregg asked.

"Repertoire," Bea answered. "He's only one man. He can only do so many voices. Fortunately, mine is unique."

"Like a snowflake!" Papyrus cried.

Bea gave the skeleton a sideways glance. "…No."

"Well, in rare cases, characters might get enough attention that they sort of gain their own personality," Billy added.

"Exactly," Alphys agreed. "Otherwise, the character d-default to canon and nothing else."

"So… long story short," Jack concluded. "I'm screwed if I run into any villainous characters from games I didn't give much attention?"

"Oh man, you'd be serious danger!" Undyne smirked.

"So please be careful, Jack, Billy, Sam, and Jenny," Papyrus warned.

"There's a chance they might r-resent you for not giving them the attention they wanted," Alphys added.

"Evil characters with a grudge," Jack muttered. "Great."

"Yep!" Undyne cried. "Excited yet?"

"Please don't die right after meeting us," Mae said. "We already have enough dead people in our game."

"But if you do die, at least send us back a limb," Bea said.

"We promise to poke it with a stick," Gregg added with a smile.

"I've programmed the front door to lead to the approximate location of the next key," Alphys stated.

"Okie-Dokie!" Jack picked up Sam again and turned to leave. "Come on, team!"

* * *

 **Where will Jack and his friends end up this time? Well, if you've played the game already, you'll know** **…**

 **Not a lot of things were changed here, since I couldn't think of much to alter.**


	9. Ch 8: Not Ready for Freddy

**DISCLAIMER: Be prepared for some spooky scares! Also, the character Cliff Smedley belongs to KatieMarie999, who also developed the game.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Not Ready for Freddy

Just like before, Jack and his friends left the apartment and arrived somewhere different. But instead of ending up outside like at the McBosses, they found themselves in a completely dark room.

"Where are we?" Jenny wondered aloud.

"I have no idea," Billy replied. "But this darkness is very unsettling."

Jack sniffed the air. "Hey, does anyone else smell pizza, or is it just me?"

"Hold on…" Jenny took out an iPhone from her jeans pocket. "I've got a flashlight app on my phone."

"Why didn't you use it when we were in the maze?" Billy asked.

"Because Felix had my clothes, remember? Here we go!" A light shone out from Jenny's phone and she waved it around. "Now let's see if we can find out- Uh oh!"

"What?" Jack asked, sensing her tension. "Something up?"

Jenny silently pointed to a wall. Jack and Billy followed her arm, and what they saw sent chills through their bodies: a poster that read 'Celebrate' with three animatronics; a bear in a top hat, a chicken with a bib that said 'Let's Eat', and a bunny holding a guitar.

"Oh God, it's Five Nights at Freddy's," Jack gasped. "I'm definitely screwed. Oh no!"

"That explains the pizza," Billy said.

At that moment, they heard a deep echoing laugh from the shadows.

"Get down!" Billy hissed, pulling Jack behind a table. Jenny switched off her phone and ducked down.

Moments later, Freddy Fazbear himself strode into view, its eyes glowing ominously. Pausing in front of the table, he turned his head to look around. Jack started to pant erratically, fearing the worst. Jenny took his hand and held tight, hoping to calm him down.

After what felt like an hour, Freddy turned away and marched off towards the stage. Seeing the animatronic walking away, Jack calmed down, and Billy let out the breath he'd been holding. "That was too close."

"I hate this, I hate this!" Jack moaned.

Jenny stood up and switched on her phone again. "Usually, when you say 'I hate this' while playing horror games, it really means you like it."

"But I'm not playing a horror game, am I?" Jack retorted crossly. "This is fleeting real! If Freddy had caught us…"

"Jack, Jack, it's okay," Jenny interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay. I know you're terrified; I am too. But we have to keep going if we're to find that hydrospersion key."

"We should start our search in the security booth," Billy said. "If we stick close to the tables and keep our heads down, we should make it."

As quietly as they could, and as quickly as they dared, Jack, Jenny, and Billy crawled across the pizzeria floor, keeping a lookout for the other animatronics.

As they passed the stage, they saw more posters, showing the faces of Mangle, Balloon Boy, Springtrap, Bellora, and Funtime Foxy. "Looks like there's more than one FNAF game in here," Jenny noted.

"Yeah, it's sort of the FNAF universe," Billy explained. "It's like Alphys said, they all kind of blended together when Jack stopped playing them."

"Wait, universe?" Jack gasped. "Oh no, we're in FNAF World! We gotta run!"

"Keep it down!" Billy hissed. "You want to get spotted? Besides, this place is too dark and grim to be FNAF World."

"Thank goodness," Jack sighed.

"Oh yeah," Billy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "The harmless RPG is the one you don't want to be in, not the horror games with the scary animatronics that stuff you into a suit until your eyeballs pop out."

"Exactly," Jack chuckled softly.

"Hey look, there's a music box on stage," Jenny said, pointing to it. "I have a collection of them back home. I wonder what that one sounds like…"

"I probably wouldn't wind it up if I were you," Jack warned. "In this game, if there's a music box, there's an animatronic."

"Good thinking," Jenny conceded.

"Why do they even let kids in this place, anyway?" Jack asked. "With those animatronics wandering around, ready to kill."

"There aren't any kids in this game in the first place," Billy argued.

"What about the later games?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, those kids…" Billy shrugged. "Yeah, they're cool, but they don't like hanging around here, not when the games aren't being played. They tend to congregate in Turbo Dismount. Crash dummies are really funny. And it's not gory, so we're allowed in!"

"Are there other games where you kids are allowed?" Jack asked, eager to take his mind off the terror.

"Yeah," Billy replied. "Turbo Dismount, Planet Coaster, even Totally Accurate Battle Simulator… Those kinds of places are fun or funny, where our parents (if we had any) can leave us for a while."

"What about the really young ones, like from Among the Sleep or Who's Your Daddy?"

"Oh, Asgore and Toriel run a day-care."

"Aw, that suits them!" Jenny smiled.

By then, the group had passed Pirate's Cove and had reached the passage to the booth. They ducked behind some presents just as Bonnie came out, and tried to head for the left passage, but found it blocked by two mannequins.

"Could've sworn this was a game about animatronics, not mannequins," Billy muttered.

Jack smirked at Billy's tone. "You're not… _scared_ , are you?"

"No, but let's bring one back for Mark."

"Now that's just cruel," Jack chuckled.

Then it was Billy's turn to smirk. "Wait, you're afraid of these too, aren't you?"

"Let's move on," Jack stated.

"With Bonnie out the way, the other door should be open," Jenny assumed. "Let's hurry there."

Quickly, they shuffled down the passage and approached the security booth. Jenny lifted her phone to shine the light inside… and suddenly, a face appeared in the light!

"AAHHH!" Jack, Jenny, and Billy gasped.

"AAUUGHH!" the face screamed, disappearing into the booth.

"Get inside, before he closes the door!" Billy cried.

The group ran into the booth, just moments before the door slammed shut behind them.

The booth was better lit inside than the rest of the pizzeria, so Jenny turned off her phone. Jack recognized the layout of the booth from the first FNAF game; monitors showing the lay of the building, the fan humming loudly by the phone, the cupcake with a lit candle. In one corner of the room, Circus Baby lay motionless, staring at the trio with hollow eyes.

Just then, Sam jumped off Jack's shoulder and hopped over to another corner, where a young African-American man wearing a green Septic Eye-themed hoodie lay cowering, holding a frying pan in his hands. "Stay back! Stay back! Don't kill me!"

"Whoa, hey, calm down," Jack said, stepping closer. "We're not gonna hurt you!"

The man stood up and brandished his weapon. "I have a frying pan and I'm not afraid to-" He tailed off as he saw Jack. "Wait, are you… Jacksepticeye?"

Before Jack could respond, the man dropped his frying pan and ran over, grabbing him in a huge hug. "It is you! It is you! It's Jacksepticeye here to rescue me from my certain, horrible fate!"

"Uh," Jack gasped, his breath squeezed out from the hug. "I don't know if that's…"

"You do not understand!" the boy cried, releasing his grip. "I am so honored to meet you! Beyond honored! Happy! Excited! Adjectives I cannot fathom at this happy, happy time! You're my HERO! LITERALLY!"

"Well, don't keep your emotions bottled up," Billy muttered sarcastically.

"Wait, unless I died…" the boy realized. "Oh well, if I died, that's-" He suddenly let out a gasp of horror. "Oh no! If I died and I'm meeting you, then that means you died too! NOOO!"

"Hey buddy, calm down!" Jack cried, shaking the boy's shoulders. "You're gonna give yourself a heart attack."

The boy took a deep breath and let it out. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just so excited to finally meet you after all these years! I'm Cliff, Cliff Smedley."

"Well, hello, Cliff," Jack beamed, as Sam hopped over to join them. "I think you already know me, and Sam for that matter."

"Of course I know Sam," Cliff cried, lifting the eyeball up. "I own all his plushies. Nice to see you in person, Sam."

Jack turned to his friends. "And this here's Billy and Jenny."

"Billy?" Cliff chuckled. "That's so funny! You look just like Happy Wheels Billy!"

"Yeah, so I hear," Billy replied modestly.

"Are you another subscriber?" Jenny asked, shaking Cliff's hand. "How did you get here?"

"Well, I was at home alone, watching Jack's newest video, and then…" Cliff gulped loudly. "Next thing I knew, I was here, in FNAF with the animatronics and not nearly enough battery power to last the night!"

"I didn't see anyone come after us when we came here," Jack said.

"Far as I can tell, they're not programmed to attack anyone going _in_ ," Cliff explained. "It's coming _out_ that's the problem!"

"Because they're programmed to kill anything in the security booth," Jack finished with a weary sigh. "Of course."

"Correctamundo!" Cliff cried.

"Well, there's four of us now, five if we count Sam," Jenny pointed out. "Maybe we can overpower them?"

"Sure, one on one," Billy scoffed. "That won't result in death at all."

"Much as I hate to admit it, Billy's right," Jack said. "Taking on Freddy and his crew's probably a bad idea. Is there a way we could lure the animatronics away?"

"There's a music box on the stage." Cliff pointed to the animatronic child. "Baby's move route leads straight to it. If you turn it on, they're supposed to go on stage. Something about it signaling the start of the show… I think. The handbook isn't very clear on that part."

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking behind them. Jenny and Billy jumped back in alarm. "Aw, crikey!" Jack gulped.

"Something's at the door!" Cliff yelped, clutching Sam close. "And we're only at 10% power!"

"Okay," Jenny decided firmly. "We're going to need to come up with a plan, and fast! What if we took the endoskeleton and all the electronics out of Baby and then stick someone inside? The animatronics won't know the difference."

"I did find a bunch of programming instructions and protocols for her," Cliff said, pointing to some plans on the table. "Trouble is, I'm too big for the suit."

Jack rubbed his chin in thought. "Well… there is one of us that's kind of the right size."

Billy suddenly realized that Jack and Sam were looking at him. "No. Way. I am not dressing up as Baby! Uh-uh!"

"Come on, Billy, we've no other option," Jack offered. "Besides, you wanted to be useful. This is your chance."

"Yeah, Billy, you can do it!" Jenny encouraged.

"I believe in you, Billy!" Cliff agreed. "Even though I don't really know you…"

Billy pouted angrily. "Fine, but you owe me big time."

* * *

It took quite a lot of effort to remove the endoskeleton from Baby. Under instructions from Cliff, Jack tightened the springlocks as much as they could, while Jenny moved some of the cables back to make room.

Finally, the suit was ready and Billy climbed into it. As Jenny closed the faceplates over his head, Jack couldn't help but smile. "Do you ever play make-believe?" he asked, imitating Baby. "Pretend you're one way when you're really the other?"

"Ballora never learns, but I do," Cliff added, joining in the game.

Even Jenny had to laugh. "The only thing that matters is knowing… how… to… pretend," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"You all suck," Billy snapped.

"Make us proud, Billy!" Jack cried.

"The blueprints for the building and Baby's route are on the table," Cliff said. "It should be pretty simple to figure out where to go."

Billy staggered over to the table and looked at the blueprint. "Ho boy, there's no way I'm going to remember that."

"I have an idea." Jenny took out her phone, snapped a picture of the blueprint and handed it to Billy. "Just look at it every now and then to find the path."

"Thanks, Jenny." Billy walked over to the door and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

Cliff hit the button to open the door, allowing Billy to step out, and then quickly closed it again. "Alright, nothing more to do but wait."

"I'll keep an eye on the cameras," Jack said, sitting in the chair. "Someone needs to make sure Billy gets it right."

Cliff sighed and sat down on the floor. "So, what is this place anyway? I mean, Billy's from Happy Wheels, and this is FNAF. Which game are we in?"

"Technically, we're in all of them," Jenny replied, sitting next to him. "Would you believe we're actually inside Jack's computer?"

Cliff stared at her in amazement. "We're in Jack's computer? No way!"

"Crazy, right?" Jenny agreed. "I ended up trapped in the McBosses' house from Sims 4, and then we had to break out of a prison from The Escapists."

"The place is called Wireland," Jack said. "According to Alphys, it's where all the characters from every game I've played meet up when I'm not playing them."

"So how did I end up here?" Cliff asked.

"Somehow, all of Jack's subscribers got uploaded onto his computer," Jenny replied. "Billy summoned Jack here so he could save us."

"Awesome!" Cliff cried. "So do you know who uploaded us here, Jack? And why?"

"Not really," Jack admitted. "All I know is that someone, or something, that calls themselves The BOSS has hacked into my computer and is keeping us trapped. I'm trying to find some items that could allow Alphys to get us home."

"Wait, Alphys from Undertale?" Cliff gasped. "You've met her for real?"

"Yeah, and Papyrus, Undyne, Sans, and Toriel," Jenny said. "All sorts of characters are at Jack's place now!"

"And my kitchen will never be the same again," Jack muttered.

Just then, they heard the gentle tunes of a music box ringing down the hall.

"He did it!" Jack cheered, jumping out of the chair. "I think we're safe!"

"That's a relief," Jenny sighed, getting off the floor with Cliff.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Jack announced. "We're going to have to split up to look for something called a hydrospersion key."

Cliff gulped loudly. "Splitting up? Alone? With no one else? And no help? A lone lonely loner?"

"No, Jack's right," Jenny said. "We'll cover a lot more ground that way. Where do you need us to go?"

Jack smiled sheepishly. "I, uh… didn't know I was the team leader."

"Hey, bruh, this is your computer," Cliff pointed out.

Sam nodded as he jumped onto Jack's hand.

"Fair point," Jack conceded. "Anyway, me and Sam will investigate the storage room out there. Cliff, you go check out the bathrooms. And Jenny, you head into the kitchen."

"Sure, Jack," Cliff smirked. "Send the only girl into the kitchen. Smooth."

"Hey, hold on now, buddy! That has nothing to do with it!" Jack retorted. "Hmm, on second thought, maybe I should take the kitchen. There could be cake!"

"That works out," Jenny agreed. "I'm diabetic; it's probably best not to risk even coded cake."

"Do I still have to check out the icky, smelly bathroom?" Cliff moaned.

"Yes," Jack said simply.

"Well, if you insist," Cliff sighed. "But if you do find cake, you owe me."

"Understood."

With that, they crept out of the security booth and made their way up the passage. At the main hall, they saw the animatronics gathered on stage in front of Billy.

"Okay, we're clear," Jack whispered. "Just don't get too close to the animatronics and we'll be fine."

"See you later," Cliff hissed, heading off to the bathrooms.

Jack and Jenny stuck close to the wall and sidled up to the other side of the room. Jenny hurried along to the storage room, while Jack slipped into the kitchen. "Next hydrospersion key, here we come!"

* * *

 **What terrors await Jack, Jenny, and Cliff in their searches? Tune in next time to find out.**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **As this part of the game dealt with horror games, I wanted to try and build the intrigue up a little. Hence, the buildup at the beginning and the close call with Freddy.**

 **I left out Billy's puzzle section partly to not give away the answer, but mostly to show what I believed happened with Jack, Jenny, and Cliff.**


	10. Ch 9: Nightmares, Terror, and Cake

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter will be longer than the others, since I wanted to round out the story evenly.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Nightmares, Terror, and Cake

Cliff stepped into the bathroom, looking around with the torch he'd borrowed from the security booth. The room was just as dark and dismal as the rest of the pizzeria, but thankfully, there was no sign of any animatronics. "Let's see… if I were a computer part hiding in the bathroom, where would I be?"

Above one of the sinks, he saw a strange banner hanging on the wall. It showed a star, one half red and pointy, the other blue and sticklike, in a white circle against a blue background. "I wonder what sort of banner that is," he muttered. "What does it have to do with creepy animatronics? Is there some kind of conspiracy? Is there a hostile takeover that I don't know about?" He sighed and shook his head. "Man, where's MatPat when you need him?"

Cliff walked through the bathroom and pushed each stall open, tensing in case something leaped out and bit him. In the last stall, he was surprised to see a door where the toilet should've been. "Let's see: creepy door hidden in a bathroom stall. To open or not to open; that is the question." He paused to think then shrugged. "Ah, what the heck."

With that, he pushed open the door… and found himself in a well-lit psychiatrist's office. "What the…?"

As he looked around in confusion, a young girl in a yellow dress climbed off the divan and approached him. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here," she said in a gentle British accent. "You came because Mr. Midnight is missing, didn't you?"

Cliff was still puzzled by the change of scenery, so he didn't recognize her straight away. "Your what now?"

"Mr. Midnight!" the girl repeated. "I cannot find him."

"Well, ain't that just the pits?" Cliff drew up his chest then raised his hand. "I will help you find your Mr. Midnight! There's just one thing that I need to know."

The girl smiled. "Yes?"

"Who is Mr. Midnight?"

"He is my kitty, of course."

"Wait… Mr. Midnight's your kitty…" Cliff shuffled through his memories for a few moments. "Oh, yeah! You must be Fran Bow!"

"Yes, that is me," the girl answered with a curtsey.

"Well, never fear, Fran Bow!" Cliff put on his heroic pose again. "I, Cliff Smedley, will find your kitty or die trying! …Preferably without the dying part."

"Thank you," Fran Bow beamed. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me."

"Maybe I'll find the hydrospersion key on the way," Cliff added. "It wouldn't do to go back to Jack, Jenny, and Billy without it."

"Oh, you know Billy?" Fran Bow asked.

"Yep! Why, is he a friend of yours?"

"Yes, we are friends. Good friends, in fact. He usually helps me find Mr. Midnight when we get separated. Is he helping you?"

"Yeah, it's really cool to be working with him," Cliff smiled. "Why do you ask?"

Fran blushed slightly and turned away. "N-No reason. You should keep looking for Mr. Midnight."

"Hmm," Cliff murmured but said nothing more on the matter.

He walked up to some file cabinets and opened a drawer. "There are patient records in here. Now, I normally respect patient confidentiality… buuuut it's a computer program, and it's not like I'm going to tell anyone about these."

With that, he pulled out a file and flicked through it. "'Charles Dalimar'… My gosh, this guy's got schizophrenia, sociopathy, delusions of grandeur… AND he escaped from the window!" He quickly closed the file, stuffed it back in the drawer, and slammed it shut. "Hope I don't run into that guy!"

After a quick circuit of the room, Cliff had no luck finding anything. "Man, how hard can it be to find a talking black cat?"

"Perhaps these can help you," Fran offered, holding out a bottle of red pills. "Whenever I get stuck on a puzzle, they always show me the way."

"Hmm, if these are the pills I think they are, this might not end well," Cliff said. "But on the other hand, I've nowhere else to go, so… Sure, I'll take one."

"If you want to come back, you'll need to find the yellow pills," Fran advised. "They should be on the desk nearby."

So saying, Fran handed him a pill and Cliff immediately gulped it down. "So, what's supposed to h-UURRGH!" Suddenly, his head started spinning, his stomach twisted, and he closed his eyes in pain. Then just as quickly, the feeling passed, though Cliff's head felt sore.

But when he opened his eyes, the whole room had changed. The walls and floor were stained with blood, the door back had been replaced by a gaping hole, and a dead body lay where Fran Bow used to stand. "Good grief…"

Just then, he heard a soft mew and he turned to see a cat as black as the darkest night sitting on the divan, gazing at him with big yellow eyes. "Mr. Midnight!" Cliff cried. "Wow, that was _super_ easy!"

"Is Fran all right?" the cat asked in a surprisingly deep voice for his size. "I'm afraid we've been separated."

"She's fine." Cliff looked at the desk and spotted the bottle of yellow pills. "Maybe you should take one of these. She's right here in this room."

Mr. Midnight shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid I cannot. Fran and I have been separated by a dark ritual. Besides, those pills were not meant for animal consumption. You'll have to find another way to reunite us."

Cliff rubbed his chin. "Well, I've never performed a dark ritual before, but I guess there's a first time for everything!"

"There should be an instruction sheet in the library over there," Mr. Midnight said, pointing to a doorway with his paw. "Try checking that."

"Will do." Cliff smiled and scratched Mr. Midnight's head, making him purr. "Don't worry, kitty. I'll get you back to Fran in no time."

He then entered the library, a room that was just as grim and gory as the doctor's office. There were four levers on the wall, a doorway that was blocked off by police tape, and a row of bookshelves filled with creepy jars and dusty books. In one corner, he saw a giant cup. "Hmm, a bit big to drink out of, not that that would stop me, of course. Now, a crazy curse or some dark magic… _That_ would stop me from drinking out of it."

Cliff walked towards the bookshelves, running his hand along the wall. "Man, this building is losing a lot of blood… If this keeps up, it's gonna need a blood transfusion. Do they know its type? And where are they going to get that much blood?" He then frowned. "You know what, I don't think I want to be around for that."

He then reached the nearest bookshelf and began searching through the different books. "Ah, here we go," he said after a while. "Spells and rituals. Reuniting loved ones… Hmm, looks like there are five different ingredients we need. Better take this with me and show it to Fran."

After pocketing the book, he went back to the office and took a yellow pill. Just like before, he felt a splitting headache that made him blink, and when it cleared, he was back in the normal office where Fran was waiting. "I found a book on what to get!"

"Oh good," Fran beamed. "What do we need?"

Cliff opened the book on the spell. "The ingredients we need are… the blood of a mortal enemy, the hair of a healer, the proof of an imaginary friend, the ashes of someone you've wronged, and the heart of someone you've misunderstood. So any idea on how we can get them?"

"Hmm…" Fran's face became stern. "Well, I can think of several mortal enemies, but one springs to mind: Mabuka. As for the hair of a healer, maybe… Palontras's? I have some stuck on my clothes still!" She brushed several strands of white fur from her dress and handed them to Cliff.

"Sweet!" Cliff smiled, pocketing the fur.

"And if we can just get something from Itward, I'm sure that would suffice for proof," Fran continued. "And I've wronged the twins, Clara and Mia, not that they were very nice people. And they did leave ashes. And I misunderstood Dr. Deern, but… he died. Even if we hadn't, he'd still die if we took his heart anyway." She sighed and gave a shrug. "I don't know where we can get any of these objects, do you?"

"No…" Cliff then smiled and grabbed another red pill. "But I think Mr. Midnight might."

Fran sniffed and wiped her eye. "I really miss him so much."

"It's okay, I know the feeling," Cliff said kindly. "I lost my hamster once. Then I found her under my dresser. She was a little worse for wear, but that's what happens when you don't love your master person." He frowned and bowed his head. "She's in a better place now."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Fran replied, patting his arm.

Cliff smiled wanly. "Well, she likes living in my brother's room better anyway, so I guess it's all for the best. And I've still got Rufus and Pedro."

"Are they your hamsters?"

"Nah, they're my fish. They're more faithful, and they can never leave me." Cliff stood up and took the red pill. "Back into nightmare land I go."

Flinching against the pain again, Cliff found himself back with Mr. Midnight. "Are you perchance seeking my guidance?" the cat asked, looking up from his grooming.

Cliff blinked and shook his head. "Umm, I am, by chance… or, um, perchance. Yeah, what you said."

"With what do you need my help?"

"I just need some creepy items I would probably only be able to acquire from a graveyard," Cliff explained. "So, point me to the nearest graveyard!"

Mr. Midnight nodded. "Well, perhaps you could go into the graveyard out back. You just need to flip the switches in the library to their proper positions."

"Thanks!" Cliff turned to go but then paused at the door. "Wait, this place has a graveyard?"

"Doesn't all horror games?" Mr. Midnight replied, flicking his tail.

"FNAF doesn't."

"The wrong move can send you to an early grave."

Cliff waved his finger with a smile. "Touché."

As he entered the library, there suddenly came a loud crash and the shattering of glass. "What was that?" he gasped, turning to the bookshelves. "Who's there?"

When no answer came, he crept up to the shelves and peeked around. And there on the floor, amid a broken bottle of ketchup beer lay a figure the size of an apple. Its body was made of red wool wrapped around a wire frame, and a stray strand of wool dangled from the top of the shelf.

"Yarny?" Cliff breathed, kneeling down to examine it. "What are you doing here?"

The woolen creature weakly raised an arm and pointed to a ball of wool on a high shelf.

"Oh, I see. Your trail got broken and you need more wool." Cliff reached up, grabbed the wool, and held out one end to Yarny. "Here you go."

Taking hold of the wool, Yarny stood up and spun on the spot, winding the wool around his body. Then he turned and waved at Cliff.

"I'm gonna assume that means thank you, in which case, you're welcome." Cliff carefully picked up Yarny. "Well, I don't know how you got here, but you'd be better off sticking with me. What do you say?"

Yarny nodded once.

"Great!" Cliff placed Yarny into his hood then walked up to the switches.

It took a lot of trial and error, but once all the switches were down, a hatch opened next to the chalice, revealing a ladder that Cliff descended. At the bottom, he found himself in a stone maze. "Alright, Yarny," he said, switching his torch. "Let's find the graveyard at the end of this maze."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny went into the storage room, using her phone's app to light the room. All she could see was a bookcase, some boxes, and a motionless Golden Freddy animatronic. "I think I can find the hydrospersion key Alphys was looking for in here!"

After finding nothing in the boxes, and making sure that Golden Freddy wasn't waking up anytime soon, she went up to the bookcase. "Hmm, maybe the key is in one of these books. Let me just…"

As she pulled out a book, she heard a faint click and suddenly, the bookcase rotated to reveal a hidden passage. "Well, that's a bit cliché," Jenny muttered then smiled to herself. "Ha, I almost said it was the oldest trick in the book!"

Passing through the secret doorway, she came out into the entrance room of an old abandoned house. "Well, this is definitely a horror game," she decided. "And there doesn't seem to be any way out of this room, though most horror games tend to have secret passages and tunnels. I might find some means of escape."

She walked up to an old grand piano and played a few notes, cringing at the sound they made. "Wow, this is really out of tune. I don't think anyone has played it in years."

A piece of paper on a coffee table caught her eye, and she read through it. "'February 4th: Living here alone may have been the worst and best thing that has ever happened to me. On the one hand, I'm lonely and the only ones I can call my best friends (in the loosest sense of the term) are the dead rats. On the other hand, I am at peace to call upon my muse and paint as I please. But my muse has been silent as of late…' What was their muse, though?"

Just then, she heard tiny footsteps behind her and she spun around. "Hello?" she called. But there was no reply. "That was weird…"

She then saw another table with some paper on it. But as she got closer, she felt the floor creaking beneath her feet. "That doesn't sound good. I'd better watch my- STEEEEEEEEEEppppppp!" Without warning, the floor splintered under her, and she plummeted down into the darkness.

"OOF!" Moments later, Jenny landed with a thud in another room. Her body ached from the landing, but she wasn't too badly injured. "Okay… don't stand on rotting floorboards. Got it."

She then had the feeling that something was watching her. Looking round, she saw that she was surrounded by half a dozen off-white figures. Each of them was no bigger than rats, and wore pointed caps that covered their heads. Jenny gasped in surprise, and the figures scattered, running out of the door.

"Were those… the Nomes?" she realized, getting to her feet. She knew that Jack had called those figures 'little runny dudes' in his playthrough of Little Nightmares, but after reading up some theories online, she had learned their true names and decided to stick with it. "But this doesn't look like their game."

Looking around the room, she spotted an empty easel and a table covered in art assets. The lack of dust on the brushes and paints showed that they had been used recently. She then found another diary page and read it. "'February 7th-' Huh, that's Jack's birthday. 'I felt this odd drive to create something, and a truly dreadful image has come forth from my hands. What is this hideousness? To hold it in my hands made me feel ill, as though the world around me was shaking. I've broken it up and hidden the pieces; never again do I wish to lay my eyes upon it.'"

She looked back at the easel. "Hmm, I guess this must be Layers of Fear then. That was a scary game, even without the Anti moments. Maybe if I find the pieces of that painting, I can get out of this place."

With that in mind, she left the room and found herself in a kitchen. "Brr, it's freezing in here," she murmured, rubbing her arms.

Just then, she heard a faint chirruping noise. "It's coming from here," she said, walking up to a sack in the corner.

Peeking in, she saw a Nome buried upside down in the contents, its sounds getting desperate. She grabbed its legs and pulled, but try as she might, she couldn't pull it free. "This poor thing's frozen in the bag. I can't pull him out until it's melted. But how can I do that?"

She looked around until she saw a cooker on the other side. Running up to it, she turned it on, jumping back from the flames that burst out. "Looks like this oven was made by the same people who made Undyne's. That should warm things up now."

Jenny then ran back to the sack and dug the Nome out. As she lifted it up, the Nome struggled to escape. "It's okay, little guy, I won't hurt you. I'm nice, see?" Gingerly, she held it to her chest and gave it a hug. "There we go…" she hissed, feeling its struggles lessen.

She then put it back on the sack, and the Nome scraped some of the contents aside, revealing a picture underneath. "Oh, that's one of the pieces I need," she smiled, pulling it out. "Thank you."

As she turned to go, the Nome jumped down and scurried after her. "You want to come too?" Jenny asked. "Alright, just stay close to me."

Upon returning to the studio, Jenny placed the painting piece on the easel. Just then, the lights faded slightly, making her jump. "Well… that did something, at least. Now let's see where I'll end up next…"

* * *

"Phew, am I glad to be out of there," Cliff sighed, wiping his forehead. The maze had been long and difficult, Cliff having to double back several times. But he had finally reached the end and had just climbed up some vines to escape.

After catching his breath, he looked around and shuddered at the sight of the tombstones standing to attention. "Looks like we found the graveyard, Yarny," he said.

"Hello there!" came a strained voice next to him.

As Yarny dived back into his hood, Cliff turned round and saw a tall skeletal figure approaching him. The skeleton was dressed in a dark suit and a top hat, and he glanced at them with yellow catlike eyes. "Itward, it's you!" Cliff cried. "Fran told me that I needed your help."

"Ah, so you've met Fran," Itward beamed. "I've been trying to help her get back with her cat. But I can't possibly seem to figure out how to do it!" He turned and waved a hand at a silver six-pointed star on the ground. "I know there's a ritual so I put out this hexagram. A pentagram would have been better but… ah well."

"Well, it's your lucky day! Fran gave me some ideas for your ritual. I just…" Cliff glanced back at the graves with a grimace. "…need to dig up some of these graves."

"I see," Itward replied. "Well, I'm sure I left a shovel in the halls somewhere. Would you mind going down there and getting it?"

Cliff looked back at the hole he'd just climbed out and sighed. "Well, I guess there's no reason for me to put this off." As he began to climb down, he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I'll also need the proof of an imaginary friend. Any ideas?"

"I'll think about it," Itward promised. "Just get the extra ingredients and I'll let you know."

Cliff climbed down back into the maze and looked around. "Man, this might take forever."

Just then, Yarny popped out and tapped Cliff's shoulder with his foot. "What is it?"

Yarny strolled up to the vines, took out the end of his wool tail and tied it firmly around a stem. Then he held it up and pointed to the maze.

"Ohh! I get it!" Cliff smiled. "We'll use your yarn to guide our way round. Then when we find the shovel, we can follow it back here. Let's go!"

This time, it didn't take them long to locate the shovel. They found it in a dead end under some weird graffiti. "'The BOSS is nothing'?" he read. "I really don't like what that's implying. Plus it's written in blood. Never a good sign… Let's get out of here, Yarnball."

Thanks to Yarny's trail, Cliff reached the exit in no time and after untying the wool, he climbed back out into the graveyard. "I got the shovel, now let's rob some graves!" He paused. "Man, that sounded way cooler in my head…"

Cliff walked up to one of the tombstones and read the epitaph. "'Clara and Mia'… This must be where the twins are buried. Fun." He quickly dug up the grave, unearthing a small urn pot, and picked it up. "I guess this'll do."

He then walked past the other graves, each one telling a short verse about Jack's death in various horror games, until he saw one that had Dr. Deern's name. "This must be it." It took a lot longer to dig up, but he soon uncovered a coffin which he opened. "Huh, I thought it would be grosser than this, but… it's just a heart." Nonetheless, he still cringed as he pocketed the heart.

At that moment, Itward came running up to him. "I've figured it out! You can make the potion in my hat; it's the perfect proof of me! Here, take my extra one."

Itward pulled out a second hat and handed it to Cliff. "Why do you have two hats if you only have one head?"

"Just in case it blows away," the skeleton replied. "I wouldn't be Itward without my hat!" He then turned to a wall and waved his hand, causing a door to appear. "There! This will lead you back to the library. Now you won't have to trek through that horrendous maze if you want to come back."

"Gee, thanks, Itward," Cliff beamed, putting the hat on. "Be right back!"

Once he was back in the doctor's office, Cliff took another yellow pill, returning to the normal world with Yarny. "I seem to have everything," he said to Fran, "except for the blood of a mortal enemy. Where can I find that?"

"Well, as I said earlier, Mabuka would count as one," Fran replied. "And I believe she is in that room in the library that was blocked off."

"Okay!" Cliff then paused. "Wait, why's she in this reality? Shouldn't she be in the creepy one?"

"If she weren't, then this reality wouldn't serve much purpose to the story," Fran replied.

"Eeeexcellent point! Well spotted!" Cliff then turned to re-enter the library. "Well, off we go, Yarnball!"

Through the now reopened door, Cliff entered a dark room. Quickly, he switched on his torch to see… and instantly regretted it. "Hooooly shrimp!"

He had entered another maze, but instead of walls, the borders were composed of horrific snake creatures with skulls for heads. Cliff picked up a stone and hurled it at the nearest creature. With an angry noise like a hissing cat, the creature lurched forward and grabbed the stone in its teeth, crunching it to dust.

"Ooookay then," Cliff gulped. "Don't touch any of the skeleton snake things. Mabuka must be in here somewhere, but we'd better be careful."

Again, Yarny tied his wool tail to the doorknob, and Cliff set off into the maze, keeping his free hand firmly flat against his side…

* * *

Back in the old mansion, Jenny and her Nome friend found themselves in an old dusty storeroom. Some paintings sat on easels, each creepier than the last, and another piano sat next to a grandfather clock. Jenny walked up to a chest and opened it. "This is full of different lengths of hair. I hope it might be horse hair, but since this is Layers of Fear…"

Closing the chest, she walked up to some crates and bent her head over one. "I think I hear… a heartbeat in this one. Creepy."

The Nome walked up to a painting and Jenny examined it. The painting showed an image of Jack dressed like an earl, but his face had an overlay of another face similar to his. It reminded Jenny of one of his thumbnails for the Layers of Fear series.

When she looked back, she gasped. Another painting was sitting a few inches next to the first one. "I'm pretty sure that just moved!"

She and the Nome then walked up to a third painting, which showed Jack as a merman sitting on a beach. "I don't know what game that was done for, but it's nice at least."

The Nome then let out a squeak that made Jenny turn. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the second painting lying next to her. "That definitely moved!"

She walked up and glanced at the painting. "What is with this thing? Wait a minute… what's this?" Reaching round the back, she pulled out a sheet of music. "Hmm, I guess I can play it on the piano."

She placed the sheet music on the piano then looked down at the keys. "Well, I've never been very good at playing piano, but… here goes…"

Jenny tapped her finger on the keys, playing the notes on the music. Then she heard something thump next to her, and she turned to find the grandfather clock open. As she walked up, another Nome jumped out the clock and ran towards the crates. "Oh hey, there's another painting piece! I guess it's good that I kind of blundered into the solution. I don't think I'd have noticed this hidden in there."

While she picked it up, the first Nome ran up to its friend and chattered calmly to it, pointing to Jenny. "I'm guessing you're telling him that I'm a nice person?" she asked.

In response, the two Nomes looked up at her. "Okay then, let's go."

Returning to the studio, Jenny placed the piece on top of the other piece, and the lights faded further. "I guess I'm on the right track…"

She then stepped out of the room again, this time entering a library. A fire burned fiercely in the hearth, warming the room. While the two Nomes scattered round the room, Jenny picked up another piece of paper. "'July 3rd. I can't stand it! I've checked the libraries in the northeast, southwest, southeast, and northwest, but still no book. If I don't get some answers soon, I fear I'll be worse off than I am now.' Hmm, that sounds like another puzzle…"

She looked round the room, noting the positions of the bookcases. After some thought, she walked up to one and found a hidden button which she pressed. She did the same for the other bookcases, scaring out another Nome in the process, and a secret compartment opened in the last bookcase, revealing the third painting piece. "This puzzle reminds me of… something. Like, I think I've seen it before, just… not in a Jack video. Maybe one of Mark's? Oh well, at least I got the piece."

After the Nomes comforted their friend, Jenny led them out of the library and back into the studio…

* * *

Meanwhile, Cliff and Yarny were still traipsing through the scary maze. Yarny's wool helped again through their journey, but Yarny was getting skinnier with each passing second. Even worse, Cliff had had a few close encounters when his hoodie brushed against one of the creatures. Luckily, he'd been quick to duck down, but his fear was starting to overwhelm his senses.

At last, after what felt like hours, Cliff spotted something up ahead. "I think we've found Mabuka!" he cried, running forward. But as he did, Yarny's wool ran out and the poor doll was yanked off his shoulder.

Cliff didn't notice that, though. He was too focused on the huge white head on the wall, weeping blood. "Right, get a little blood and I'm all set." Pulling out an empty vial he'd taken from the library, he held it under the blood tears until it was full.

Suddenly, the whole room lit up, showing the terrifying maze in all its gory glory. "Whoa," Cliff gasped, dazzled by the brightness. "Huh, I guess there was a delay of some sort. Right, time to get out of here, Yarny." He looked at his shoulder, but Yarny wasn't there. "Yarnball?"

He then turned around and saw Yarny lying a few feet away, practically reduced to a wire frame. "Oh no!" he gasped, running up to him. "You're out of wool, and I didn't even know it! I'm so sorry, Yarny." Carefully, he picked him up and held him to his chest. "Well, don't you worry; we're gonna get out of here now."

Grabbing the trail of wool, he took off back into the maze. But as he ran, he accidentally kicked a bone off the ground, sending it flying. He froze as the bone bounced off one fleshy wall and then another. "Uh oh…"

Suddenly, the walls began to shiver and undulate as the creatures reared up in anger. "RUUUUNNN!" Cliff screamed.

Through the maze he fled, gathering up Yarny's trail. Behind him, the creatures twisted and coiled around each other, trying to locate the source of their disturbance. Cliff kept his head low and his arms round his chest, desperately searching for the exit.

As the snake beasts surged towards him, ready to snap his head off, Cliff finally spotted the door leading to the library. With a yell, he dived through it then tugged on Yarny's wool, pulling the door shut just before the snakes could get in behind him.

Cliff tumbled across the floor and slammed into the bookcases, knocking it down and sending books scattering. For a few moments, he lay there, puffing and panting in fear. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh," he repeated in a shaky voice.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Fran standing over him. "Oh dear," she gasped. "Are you alright? I heard a most awful din and I thought you might be in trouble."

"C-c-could you give me a second?" Cliff stuttered. "My l-life is flashing before m-my eyes… Man, I really needed to get out more."

"Did you get the blood?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I got the blood."

"Oh good," Fran beamed. "Then you must return to Itward so you can get my kitty back!"

Cliff looked down and saw that Yarny had rewound his wool around his body again. Then he jumped to his feet. "Alrighty. When your kitty's in trouble, I am not slow! It's up, up, up, and aw- Wait, I don't fly. Uhh…" He then smiled and stamped his feet. "It's run, run, run, and away I go!"

Fran looked puzzled. "Um…"

"Yeah, that reference was after your time, and quite a bit before mine, come to think of it," Cliff admitted. "Anyway, I'll see you soon, with Mr. Midnight!"

With that, he took one last red pill then ran back into the doctor's office. "Hey, Mr. Midnight, I've got everything all ready!"

With a purr of delight, Mr. Midnight bounded off the divan and trotted up to Cliff. "Lead the way!"

In no time at all, Cliff, Yarny, and Mr. Midnight were back in the graveyard, where Itward was waiting. "We're all ready to go!"

"Then let's do this!" Itward plucked his spare hat off Cliff's head and placed it in the middle of the hexagram.

Cliff placed the heart into the hat then emptied the urn over it. He then poured the blood onto the ashes and sprinkled the fur over the mixture. "I think everything's in order."

"Good," Itward beamed. "Now you just need to say the magic words."

Opening the book to the spell, Cliff cleared his throat then read the spell. "Kohreywah mah-hoe noh kohtohbah!"

Suddenly, the hat's contents burst into flame, sending a pillar of light up into the sky. As Itward began to laugh with joy, Cliff shielded his eyes and Mr. Midnight closed his eyes. Even Yarny covered his face.

As the light finally faded, Cliff looked up and gasped in amazement. He was no longer standing in a graveyard, but in a peaceful garden bathed in sunlight. "We did it! Now we just have to get back to Fran."

Itward picked up Mr. Midnight and handed him to Cliff. "You go on ahead."

With a smile, Cliff entered the library one last time and walked back into the doctor's office. When Fran saw them enter, her eyes lit up. "Mr. Midnight!"

The cat gave a happy mew, bounded out of Cliff's arms, and ran up to Fran, who knelt down and scooped him up. "Oh Mr. Midnight, you're back! Oh, thank you, Cliff! Thank you!"

"It was nothing." Cliff smiled as he watched the happy scene; Fran weeping tears of joy, and Mr. Midnight lapping them off her cheek.

After a moment, he frowned. "I'm happy that I helped you out, but I haven't found what I was looking for."

"I'm so very sorry," Fran sighed, wiping her eyes. "But thank you for helping me reunite with my dear kitty."

Mr. Midnight walked up and rubbed Cliff's legs. "I'll never forget all you've done for us."

"No problemo, my man!" Cliff chuckled. He then looked over at Yarny. "Ready to go, Yarn-a-saurus?"

Before Yarny could reply, Fran looked over at him. "Oh, what a sweet little thing! Do you mind if I have him?"

"Well, I don't see why _knot_." Laughing at his joke, Cliff handed Yarny over to Fran. "Word of advice though, keep him out of Mr. Midnight's paws."

"Goodbye, Cliff," Fran said with a final curtsey. "And thank you again!"

With a wave goodbye, Cliff left the office and returned to the creepy bathroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. "Well, that was a bust," he sighed as he switched on his torch and left the bathroom. "Maybe Jack or Jenny had better luck than me…"

* * *

In the creepy mansion, Jenny placed the next piece on the painting, making the room darker still. "Just one more piece to go," she told the Nomes.

When she left the studio this time, she found herself in a bedroom. Like the other rooms, there was an atmosphere of dread. An old gramophone sat on a table in front of the bed. Jenny walked up to the bed and saw a sign hanging on a wall. "'To spell a word correctly is to honor its meaning.' Wow, that takes me back."

On another table, she found a note. "'October 6th. It seems the only solace I can find nowadays is in my music. Painting doesn't do it for me anymore. But music instantly takes me to my place, where all the cares of the world melt away… until I wake up back to reality again.' That's somewhat sad."

The Nomes then ran up to a closet and pointed eagerly. "What's up?" Jenny asked, walking up to them. "Is one of your friends in there?"

Opening the closet, she did indeed find another Nome, but also a record which she took to the gramophone. "I've never played a record before, but I can figure it out."

Placing the record on the turntable, she wound up the lever then carefully placed the needle on it. At once, music began to play and a song was sung backward.

Suddenly, the furniture began to warp and distort like they were made of wax and someone had held a candle to them. Jenny gulped and the four Nomes crowded around her. "That's CREEPY!"

She then saw the last painting piece lying among the congealed remains of the chest. After picking it up, she switched off the gramophone. "Okay, that didn't work. How about I try…" She turned a dial round and then switched it back on.

This time, the words came out clearly, singing a fun little song about interactive stories, and the Nomes began to dance. "That sounds better," Jenny smiled. She looked around as the room returned to its original state. "Well, that's all I need. Let's go, guys."

She led the way out of the room, humming the words. "Tell us an interactive story, a tale of guts and glory. Well, maybe not guts, but no ifs, ands, or buts, just tell us an interactive story… Hmm, catchy tune…"

Once they were back in the studio, Jenny finished the painting, and the room fell completely dark. "Awesome!"

But when Jenny looked at the painting, she felt a shiver run down her spine. The painting was of a staring eyeball with the words "The BOSS Is Nothing" encircling it. "That is… rather unsettling. But what does that mean?"

Suddenly, the whole house shook like it was kicked by a giant. "Something's happening!" Jenny gasped. As the room turned red, Jenny turned to the Nomes. "We need to get out of here!"

Squeaking in terror, the Nomes scurried out through the curtain. Jenny hurried after them and entered a long corridor, running as carefully as she could. "How do I get out of here?"

As she ran, windows shattered, forcing her to cover her face, and books fell out of shelves. Jenny caught a glimpse of a graffiti eyeball. "I've seen that before, in the maze when we escaped from prison. But who's leaving them there, and why?"

A grandfather clock tumbled to the floor ahead of her, and she climbed over it. She then saw the four Nomes in front of a bookshelf, jumping and pointing urgently. Joining them, she spotted a tiny switch in the wall. "Is this how we get out?"

Not waiting for a reply, she flipped the switch and a door appeared. "Everybody out!" she yelled, pushing the Nomes through the door before jumping after them.

She landed with a thud on the floor of the storage room at Freddy's. "Phew, never thought I'd be happy to see this place again," she sighed, getting to her feet.

Looking around, she realized that the Nomes were gone. "Oh, they must have run off somewhere else. I never got a chance to thank them." She sighed again and brushed her clothes down. "Plus, I never found the hydrospersion key. Oh well, I hope Jack or Cliff have more success than me…"

* * *

 _Fifteen minutes earlier_ _…_

Entering the kitchen, Jack peered around, lighting the way with his phone. Having played the original FNAF a long time ago, he knew that the kitchen had never been shown, players only knowing if Chica was there by audio alone, so coming in would be his first experience of seeing it fully.

So he was surprised to find that the kitchen looked just the same as in any other fast food restaurant. Piles of hamburger patties were lined up next to the grill, thick but cold. Just seeing them made Jack feel hungry. "Alright, Sam, let's see what this place holds."

At that moment, they heard a clattering sound, like a cupboard door closing. "What was that?" Jack hissed, walking towards a door at the back of the kitchen. He pushed it open and then lowered Sam to the ground. "Okay, buddy, go in and see if anyone's in there."

With a nod, Sam bounded into the room. After a while, he let out a squeak that sounded reassuring. "Okay, I'm coming in," Jack said, stepping through the door. "Whoa…"

The door led into a simple room that was more brightly colored than the kitchen. A table lay in the middle of the room, and Sam was staring at a wardrobe in one corner, guarded by mannequins.

"Hmm, the wind must've blown the wardrobe door shut," Jack decided, looking at it for a moment. "This would be awesome if it were painted bright red. Or green! Not sure where I'd put it, though, but I'd make room for a piece that cool."

He then caught a whiff of something delicious and he turned around to see a slice of cake on a plate lying on the table. "CAKE!" he cried, running over to it. "I knew there'd be cake!"

But just as he reached for the cake, he heard a clunking beneath his feet, and the next thing he knew, he was plummeting into darkness.

Hearing Jack's terrified scream, Sam turned away from the wardrobe and hopped over to the trapdoor through which Jack had fallen. With a squeak of concern, he peered down into the shadows. Then he heard a door creak behind him, and a condescending, yet familiar voice. "This is humiliating. I hope he's not hurt, but he still brought it on himself."

Sam spun around to see someone running out of the room. He only had a fleeting glimpse, but he recognized the stranger almost immediately. But that was impossible, since he had just seen Jack fall. So how had he appeared behind Sam and left the room?

* * *

 **Ooh, the plot thickens, I think...**

 **Things that are different from the game:**

 **I added Yarny to Cliff's section, mainly because of the maze sections. I thought that having something to guide them back out would be useful.**

 **The appearance of the "little runny dudes" was purely for fun. I figured that they would make visits to indie horror games like their own, so they were around to help Jenny.**

 **As for the end of Jack's section, that's a reference to The BOSS Is Nothing, the DLC to this game.**


End file.
